In recent weeks we’ve talked a lot about tracking our products from mineral or raw material to speciality component and how the transparency of our supply chain supports sustainable sourcing and legislative compliance. We’ve also discussed why our deep understanding of how these materials behave in any given situation is essential to avoiding manufacturing issues and ensuring optimised and consistent performance. Today I want to move the focus slightly to discuss some of the other ways we’re currently helping customers reduce operational risk, save time and improve margin.

Firstly, despite some challenging trading conditions, I’m delighted to report a strong performance from Nicofe in the first half of this year – in fact we’re around 20% up on the same period in 2025. I mention this because hopefully it means that we’re getting plenty of things right, but more importantly, with positive forecasts for the remainder of the year it also means we’re able to bring forward some of our investment plans.

These plans are already shaping up nicely with new metrology equipment just added to our lab. The gauges we’ve installed in our dedicated testing area are the kind of sophisticated pieces of equipment you’d expect to find in the lab of a top flight manufacturer. The new apparatus adds to our existing capabilities and helps to measure conformity to precise tolerance ranges as well as demonstrating how different products will perform in specific environments. We call our approach qualification, not just verification and it’s part of our commitment to an added value service that helps customers mitigate against risk and drive efficiency.

It’s this sort of capability that adds glitter to our industry accreditations – but it’s not the only area where we’re determined set the standard. Our investment plans include working towards an upgrade of our existing AS9120 certification by expanding the ISO9001 accreditation we already hold to adopt the rigours and protocols of AS9100, the aerospace industry standard for manufacturers. This approach and commitment to improvement brings us closer to our customers and better equips us to help tackle the most pressing industry issues. Our accreditation is scheduled for this autumn and more information will follow!

We’re also planning some enhancements to our facilities later this year that will streamline performance in many operational areas. Creating a large mezzanine floor within our offices will allow us to optimise warehousing space and supplement workshop capabilities while also creating more task-driven areas and meeting rooms. This will result in customers having preferential access to even larger stocks of premium, UK-certified materials, along with the workshop tools and specialist technical expertise required to get the best out of their products.

These are just some of the initiatives we’ve been developing to improve the services we can offer customers The aim of all this investment is to be a more reliable, more capable, more efficient long-term commercial partner for all our customers. Please feel free to contact me with any questions about our approach, the materials we offer or our support services and I’ll be happy to discuss how we could contribute to your operations. Likewise, as always, please get in touch with any order enquiries or special requirements and I’ll do my best to help!