One of the West Midlands’ fastest growing manufacturers, PP Control & Automation, has celebrated its 50th year in business by securing £2m of new contracts.
PP Control & Automation, which supplies electrical control systems, cable harnesses and sub-contract manufacturing solutions to many of the world’s largest machinery builders, turned 50 years-old in September and marked the occasion by securing £2m of new contracts.
Located in a 55,000 sqft facility in Cheslyn Hay, the company enjoyed a major surge in demand for its strategic outsourcing services, with interest coming as far away as Iceland.
It is a far cry from when the business was formed by chairman David Fox, operating from a 1,200 sqft unit in Walsall with just a handful of staff and supplying small volume electrical controls and distribution equipment.
Managing director, Tony Hague explained: “2017 has been a major year for us, not just in terms of our ‘big birthday’, but also in terms of laying the foundations for the next five decades.”
“We now have a five-year plan of taking turnover from £22m in 2017 to £40m in 2022 and the £1m factory extension now gives us the additional space and world class logistics/materials department to help us achieve that.”
“A lot of machine builders are extremely busy with strong order books. Their current issues surround capacity constraints and increasing production and sales lead-times, which in turn can result in lost orders.
“Strategic outsourcing solutions that we can offer can greatly assist in redesigning their supply chain and operational strategies and provide significant improvements without the cost and risks associated with significant additional recruitment, capex and new buildings.”
David Fox started PP Control & Automation after spotting an opportunity to provide a more professional panel building service to the region’s hospitals and building companies.
It was originally just him, his wife doing the books in her spare time and a close band of friends who came with him after he decided to leave Simplex, a General Electric Company. The first employee was Frank Cox, who still works at the business today.
Many congratulations to the PP Control & Automation team, who took home the prestigious Customer Focus award at this year’s The Manufacturer MX Awards, presented at a gala dinner in Liverpool.
Read the full list of The Manufacturer MX Award 2017 winners here.
