Nidum Precision Tooling
Nidum Precision Tooling
Established in 1962, Resolven based Nidum
Precision Tooling Ltd provides customised design and manufacturing
solutions primarily to blue chip manufacturers. The company came
under the ownership of Ewan and Julie McConnell in 2007 and their
vision was to broaden the customer base and create a centre of
engineering excellence in Neath Port Talbot.
![co-ordinate measuring machine co-ordinate measuring machine](/media/3275/nidum_2_v_Variation_2.jpg)
Nidum creates customised engineering solutions
through the design and manufacture of custom built fixtures,
fittings, gauges and replacement parts. These enable
manufacturers with production line based processes to build and
introduce new products, enhance the performance of existing product
lines, or to obtain a cost effective source of spares and improved
parts. Customers include Tenneco Walker, Ford Motor Company, Senior
Automotive, Jaguar Landrover and BAE Systems.
![Outside View of the Factory Outside View of the Factory](/media/3280/nidum_6_v_Variation_1.jpg)
Supported by Neath Port Talbot CBC,
the company invested in developing its premises with the
installation of a mezzanine floor. This enabled the relocation of
sister company Magor Designs Ltd, a recognised leader in the design
of gauging and jigs within the automotive and aerospace sectors, to
Resolven. Having both design and manufacturing capabilities on the
same site resulted in significant customer service benefits being
achieved. In addition to the design studio, offices, a meeting room
and a quality testing facility were created.
Nidum employs 24 and has a strong team of
highly skilled engineers and designers backed up by dedicated
administrative and finance functions. The company has a long
history of investing in its staff and currently employs 2
apprentices and will employ a further 2 by the end of 2011.
![Magor Designs Magor Designs](/media/3277/nidum_3_v_Variation_1.jpg)
When further investment was required to
install a turnkey airflow, ventilation and temperature management
system to service the mezzanine facilities, business owner, Ewan
McConnell was referred to the South West Wales Local Investment
Fund.
“Needing to make a further investment in our
premises, we sought support from LIF. Ensuring consistent and
controllable air quality across the different activities was vital
to improving productivity, quality and achieving energy efficiency
gains.
![Nidum Precision Tooling Nidum Precision Tooling](/media/3278/nidum_4_v_Variation_1.jpg)
The support through LIF has enabled us to move
more rapidly up the capability curve than if we had to fully fund
an incremental development ourselves. This means we can be more
competitive and offer additional products and services to both
existing customers and, potentially more importantly, sustain our
drive into new sectors and new customers. We have recently made
some significant in roads into new accounts – we have secured this
business on a mixture of expertise, service and facilities,” said
Ewan.
As part of its strategic development, Nidum
also invested in new equipment and wanted to establish a certified
co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM) capability within its Quality
Assurance facility.
“CMM machinery produces highly accurate and
universally accepted measurement and certification of machined
parts and assemblies with these products carrying a higher value
and level of customer confidence.
![Nidum Precision Tooling Nidum Precision Tooling](/media/3279/nidum_5_v_Variation_1.jpg)
This investment had the potential to open
wider product sales opportunities for us within our existing
customer base, and the market sectors we were assessing all
required suppliers to possess CMM capability e.g. aerospace and
pharmaceutical.
This investment was a key component of our
strategy of broadening our customer base by breaking into new
market sectors. However, by this time, the economic downturn had
made raising finance difficult and without the further support of
the South West Wales LIF team, this investment would not have been
possible” said Mark Davies, newly promoted Managing Director of
Nidum Precision.
![New Offices New Offices](/media/3281/nidum_7_v_Variation_1.jpg)
He added, “the installation of CMM technology
has given us a strong basis for self improvement and learning, as
we develop our overall quality assurance standards. Having this
facility in-house will greatly increase our capability to extend
our ISO9001 accreditation into relevant and recognised standards
for other sectors as we continue to broaden our customer base”.
The company has already seen significant
benefits from this investment with reduced lead times for customers
requiring CMM certification and an enhanced standing and
competitive position in its traditional markets and with new
sectors such as defence. The CMM machine has also proved to be a
great learning and training aid for the team in improving quality
standards.
Looking to the future Ewan added – “We have
benefited significantly as a business from support from both NPTCBC
and the LIF fund. Resources are precious for us all in the current
climate and we are gauging and digesting feedback from our recent
investments before we determine what we seek to do next. A key task
for the next few months is investment in staff training and
development to ensure the team have relevant skills and expertise
and have confidence deploying these with new and existing
customers.”
The investments made to date have provided the
company with the facilities needed to operate in an increasingly
competitive industry. Moving forward, Nidum will continue to invest
in new equipment that increases its technical capability, and to
produce high quality products that meet the demands of a wider
customer base representing a range of sectors.