UK casting specialist steps in for OEM's disrupted supply chain

​A Midlands lightweight casting specialist has helped an engine maker in the UK get back on track after its Asian supply chain was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sarginsons Industries, which is based in Coventry, was approached to produce 1,000 components on behalf of a UK-based OEM.

The Tier One supplier had previously imported the products from Asia, but the global crisis halted supply and meant the part needed to be sourced in the UK rapidly.

Jon Nottage, business development consultant at Sarginsons, said: “The OEM needed a supplier that could meet very high quality expectations and, crucially, move very quickly on the project. We agreed costs and we got the project moving immediately.”

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The parts required three different patterns and, within just two weeks, Sarginsons had run its mathematical modelling software Magma to ensure the tooling pattern design was optimised to provide sound parts.

The first pattern of three has been manufactured, the tooling has been sampled, the part has been 3D scanned and fully X-Rayed.

All of the results have been positive and meant Sarginsons could move forward to produce the production batch with the first parts delivered within three weeks of the original discussions.

Mr Nottage added: “We have a huge amount of expertise in-house and have invested massively in technology over recent years. It means we are able to provide high speed and high quality, and react very quickly to the needs of the customer.

“Having a local supply base is going to be more and more important for manufacturers and we are ready to support those businesses who may have previously had only sourced from abroad who are now looking to suppliers in the UK.

“We have been having daily meetings with the customer so we’ve been able to share information and test results in real-time. Again, the fact that we have Magma testing, X-ray and 3D measuring all on-site has been extremely beneficial.

“On top of that, we’ve also had great collaboration with a local pattern maker that we usually work with – they even worked over a weekend to ensure an even faster turnaround.

“We are now speaking to the OEM and the Tier One with regards to working together on future products and, if this is a trend that’s going to continue – which we expect it will – we would be keen to work with more companies in supporting their efforts to find UK-based suppliers.”

Sarginsons www.sarginsons.com