Best-ever year for Staffordshire engineering firm Mec Com

Mec Com, based on the Hixon Airfield Industrial Estate near Stafford, is looking to hit £12 million of annual sales in 2013 after demand for its manufacturing work secured more than £2.5m of orders from China, India and Tunisa.

As part of its expansion, the firm has invested nearly £1m on a state-of-the-art Trumpf laser cutting machine, a solvent free powder coating plant and the creation of 20 new jobs to take its total workforce to 130.

A specialist in fabrication, light assembly, coil winding and general machining, the company has also become the latest member of the Midlands Assembly Network (MAN), a collective of nine top sub-contractors offering capabilities in mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering.

Managing director Richard Bunce said: "We've enjoyed year-on-year growth since the management buy-out in 2005 and this has been achieved by continuing to look at ways where we can 'add value' to the customer.

"This may be through delivering outstanding quality, cost and delivery, it may be about taking on the assembly of a product as an additional service or even offering a solution to a long-term manufacturing problem."

He continued: "We are continually investing in automation and in training our workforce on the best lean processes.

"It's an effective combination that delivers greater than 99.75 per cent right first time components and 95.5 per cent on time deliveries."

Mec Com currently supplies components into the power generation, food processing, rail, medical and renewable energy sectors for clients including Alstom, DEK, Schneider Electric and Siemens.

The company manufactures bespoke enclosures used on the West Coast Mainline and in the newest hospitals, whilst other components end up in solar equipment and food processing machines.

Its facility at Hixon caters for low volume work with European Fabrications – its Romanian subsidiary – providing a competitive cost base for higher volume production.

Mr Bunce said: "We are expecting to add another £1m of sales to turnover this year, with the pipeline full of enquiries both at home and overseas.

"Joining the Midlands Assembly Network is an important step in our ambitious growth plans. The group is a great champion of UK manufacturing and provides us with the perfect opportunity to access new markets which we are not currently involved in.

"We will bring specialist fabrication and light assembly capabilities to the mix and we are already working with PP Electrical Systems and a number of other member businesses."

Tony Hague, chairman of MAN and managing director at Power Panels Electrical Systems at Cheslyn Hay, said: "Mec Com is a great addition to the group and fits into our philosophy of retaining and attracting manufacturing work back into the UK.

"A commitment to world class performance, quality and 'added value' fits perfectly with the way we operate and I can already see a number of new opportunities that member companies can work on."

The Midlands Assembly Network is made up of nine companies, together employing over 600 people and with turnover in excess of £60m.