To mark our 25th anniversary in style, Mec Com Fabrications is on course for its best-ever 12 months.
After winning a string of new business in electrical power distribution and the healthcare sectors, the company is set to hit the £27m sales mark. Our order book is nearly 20% up on the budget set in 2023 and is providing a perfect birthday present for the business.
We have certainly come a long way since we were formed in 1999 by a group of employees who reacted to GEC-ALSTOM wanting to outsource its sheet metal and mechanical components manufacturing capabilities – lock, stock and barrel.
“It has been quite a journey over the last 25 years, and we’ve overcome massive challenges, not least the global crash in 2009, Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic,” explained Richard Bunce, Managing Director and one of the initiators who led the MBO in 2005.
“Despite all the external challenges and pressures, we’ve always stayed true to our core principles of delivering exceptional customer service and industry-leading quality. This has seen us build up a blue-chip customer base, including Schneider Electric, Siemens and of course we still supply into GEC-ALSTOM (now GE Renewable Energy).”
He continued: “Continuous investment in skills and the latest technology has seen us purchase state-of-the-art machines from Salvagnini, Trumpf and Amada, helping us deliver CNC punching, laser cutting, metal forming and welding.
“Over the years, we have also looked to add even greater value, providing electro-mechanical assembly and testing to clients, a globally competitive solution for sub-assemblies, mechanical enclosures, protective relays, and LED lighting.”
Mec Com Fabrications is keen to start laying out the foundations for the next 25 years, with investment planned for our UK headquarters and in European Fabrications, our hugely successful plant in Romania that is generating €10M of sales in its own right.
The decision to launch an Eastern European operation has been critical to helping the domestic operation withstand offshoring, and the two facilities continue to work seamlessly to deliver cost-effective and high-quality manufacturing services for our increasingly global client base.
“25 years in business is something to really celebrate, but you can’t stand still in manufacturing, and we need to keep getting better and investing in the future,” added Richard, who has been joined in the business by his son and Manufacturing Manager Bradley Bunce.
“We have produced a fully costed strategic plan, which will provide our employees with the skills, knowledge and confidence to embrace the challenge and unlock the benefits of digitalisation.”
He concluded: “£500,000 has been put aside to integrate optical inspection, robotics and Industry 4.0 technology into our operations, as well as a complete programme of training for many of our staff. You could call it a 25th birthday present to ourselves.”
Mec Com Fabrication is planning on celebrating this anniversary with a special party, where staff, former employees and key partners can enjoy a night of entertainment and food and drink at the Staffordshire County Showground in October.
15 employees, who were there at the very start in 1999, are still working with the business today and will be recognised as part of the celebrations.
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This is a decision which led to the creation of Mec Com Fabrications Limited in 2000. An SME with, at the time, circa 125 employees, an estimated annual sales turnover of £5M, and only one customer (namely, GEC – ALSTOM).
In 2004, we closed our fourth full year of trading, with sales approaching £7.5M.
Our sales continued to grow, and in 2007 we moved to our current location on Hixon Airfield Industrial Estate. This allows us to expand our capabilities, to include laser cutting, powder and wet painting, full assembly and test, as well as our traditional precision sheet metal and mechanical component manufacturing services.
In 2008, to ensure that our growing customer base receives world class levels of service and competitive prices, we set up our sister company European Fabrications in the cosmopolitan city of Cluj Napoca, Romania. Specialising in precision sheet metal fabrication and light assembly, European Fabrications enjoyed a record year in 2023, breaking the €10M sales turnover barrier for the very first time.
Mec Com broke the £10M sales turnover barrier for the very first time.
In 2016, Mec Com was officially designated a Siemens authorised manufacturing partner. This is an accreditation which we are very proud of, and one which has help us to accelerate sales growth and subsequent levels of capital investment.
Mec Com enjoyed a record year in 2023, achieving annual sales turnover of very nearly £17M.
Now, as Mec Com approaches its 25th year, we have a total of 230 employees (across both sites), estimated annual sales turnover for 2024 of circa £27M, and have established mutually beneficial partnerships with a loyal and highly valued list of market leading customers.
In order to build on the momentum created over the past two and a half decades, we have produced a fully costed strategic plan which will provide our employees with the skills, knowledge and confidence to embrace the challenge and unlock the benefits of digitalisation and sustainability.
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A Hixon-based fabrication specialist is celebrating its 15th birthday in style after it landed a £2.7m order with electronics giant Siemens.
