The Midlands Assembly Network has struck a deal with Guardfreight International to produce E-Containerlock, a new freight security system.
The Midlands Assembly Network is an SME collective offering expertise in mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering processes. The group is formed of 10 companies.
In a recent deal with Guardfreight, MAN won a contract for pre-production, manufacture and assembly of the E-Containerlock a freight security system. Andrew Harrison, the product’s inventor says the system could stop up to $80bn worth of cargo going missing on the road.
The new locking mechanism can be quickly fitted to shipping containers and provides an in-built GRPS tracking system that provides location updates and immediate alerts if entry is forced.
The E-Containerlock will be launched at the Subcon trade fair in Birmingham next week where it will be a key feature on the MAN stand (D6).
Mr Harrison said that Guardfreight is excited about its production partnership with MAN. “It’s early days, but we’re confident that this solution will change the way cargo is transported, with our business plan showing a £16m turnover by 2018 and the possibility of creating up to 50 jobs directly and in the supply chain,” he said.
Steve Gaston, business development manager for MAN said that the group was pleased to be bringing a local innovation to market. He also said that the partnership displays the benefits MAN’s collaborative approach to manufacturing can bring: “By having so many different engineering disciplines under one roof, we can take on any size project from initial idea right through to production, assembly and fulfillment.”
He added: “In this instance, we will be tapping into the expertise of four companies. The project lead will be Barkley Plastics to look after injection moulding and they will bring in Mec Com for the fabrication, Westley Engineering for the presswork and SMT Developments for the PCB population.”
Other companies in MAN include: Advanced Chemical Etching, Alucast, Brandauer, FW Cables, Grove Design and PP Electrical Systems. Overall the group employs over 700 people with a combined turnover in excess of £65m.