For decades, innovation in industry has been tied to emerging technologies- automation, digital transformation, and more recently AI. In today’s business environment, innovation is taking on a different form for many companies.
Across industry, manufacturers and distributors are facing unprecedented challenges across their supply chains. Tariffs, sanctions, conflicts, and fluctuating fuel prices are leading to hugely extended lead times, discontinued components and soaring costs. Without innovation, businesses can’t survive.
One UK based manufacturing firm, BEC Group, is seeing first-hand how businesses are adapting their sourcing and manufacturing, not just to survive, but to improve their products, and explore new commercial opportunities.
Turning a problem into an advantage
The many challenges that businesses have faced over the past decade have exposed a fundamental over-reliance on external suppliers and lengthy supply chains. When components are delayed, or discontinued, they face a real problem.
Instead of remaining at the mercy of these suppliers and future problems, proactive organisations are taking business into their own hands, and creating new opportunity through:
- Re-engineering their products to improve functionality and costs
- Utilising fast manufacturing techniques to test new ways of producing existing parts
- Reshoring production to the UK
- Developing new business opportunities through re-engineering
“What begins as a reactive measure, can become a transformative advantage” commented Mike Tharme, Engineering Director. “A great example of this is Guru Systems. After experiencing extensive issues with their offshore manufacturer, they successfully reshored their manufacturing to the UK, allowing for far easier communication, and shorter lead times”.
Re-Engineering for the future
Essential components becoming unavailable or unaffordable has driven a wave of re-engineering amongst proactive organisations. Rather than searching for an equivalent part which could meet the same fate, businesses are taking the opportunity to redesign the parts they need, leading to improvements in performance, availability, and cost.
With in-house design, tooling and production capabilities under one roof, companies like BEC Group make for the perfect partners in the process. “By utilising our Design for Manufacture expertise, we work collaboratively with the client’s engineers and designers to simplify over-complex assemblies, look at ways to reduce part count, review material and processing options aimed at reducing cost and improving durability and lifetime of the product.
In many cases, the replacement part outperforms the original which totally challenges the assumption that redesign is a compromise!”
The success of local brand The Spa Workshop’s injection moulded part relied heavily on BEC’s Design for Manufacture service- turning what was initially a simple prototype fashioned from a pipe, into a fully functioning, and sleek hot tub descaler.
Speed is crucial
The cogs in global supply chains turn slowly. When gaps in demand appear, these chains may be too long to respond quickly. Speed becomes crucial to maintain sales and cash flow. Here, manufacturing approaches like rapid prototyping, pre-production tooling, and in-house tooling become huge advantages.
With BEC Group, rapid prototyping accelerates concept validation, allowing designs to be refined before significant investment is made. Pre-production tooling bridges the gap to full manufacture, reducing risk and ensuring readiness, while in-house tooling gives greater control over quality, flexibility, and lead times-helping businesses respond decisively to beat competitors.
Increasing control and reducing risk through reshoring
“Bringing production back to the UK through reshoring enables businesses to improve agility and control. We recognise it’s not viable for every component but for those that are critical or complex, using a full-service UK based manufacturer like us presents an opportunity to reduce dependency on overseas suppliers, gaining speed and agility in producing their components, and gaining the ability to oversee and manage the entire process with easy communication. Clients can come down to the factory, make decisions on the spot and we can be making those changes the very same day.”
Mike Tharme, Engineering Director, BEC Group
Dual-supply methods are becoming increasingly common too. Companies spread the load of their production between two or more manufacturers for the same part. If one production line goes down, or experiences problems in their supply chain, they have another supplier to reduce risk of not receiving their goods. Dual supply can be used in one country or across separate countries.
Within the automotive industry this approach is common- for several of BEC’s filter customers a multi-country dual-supply system is used to ensure production continues in the event a supplier in one country experiences production or transport issues.
Unlocking new commercial opportunities
Innovation stemming from supply issues is not solely defensive, in many cases it is inventive too. Companies keen to fill production gaps through re-engineering and onshore manufacturing are also developing their own-brand products, enabling higher levels of customisation of their products, and fulfilling demand that was previously unmet.
In some cases, brands that in the past relied on third-party components and subcontract manufacturing are now becoming manufacturers in their own right.
Innovation beyond technology
Innovation in manufacturing is no longer defined solely by cutting-edge technology. It is defined by adaptability; the ability to respond quickly, redesign to improve, and turn disruption into opportunity.
Mike concluded “In a world where supply chains are uncertain, the most innovative companies are the ones who can make what others no longer can.”
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