Supported by the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), Arrowsmith Engineering (www.arrowsmitheng.co.uk) now expects to double its annual sales to £7 million by 2020, after impressing customers with world-class quality and ‘right first time’ performance.

Moreover, the company has just been awarded the Silver SC21 award, making it one of a select group of firms across the UK to achieve this supply-chain standard.

Managing director Jason Aldridge said: “Our client base is the ‘who’s who’ of the aerospace sector, and the only way we get to supply into these types of business is by offering precision components and on-time delivery, which was at 98% last year.

"This level of performance was a key factor in us winning a new order from the USA that will take the business to a whole new level.

"We’ve had to employ 12 new people to cope with the resulting increase in demand; these people comprise three interns, two new apprentices, a quality engineer and six machinists.

“SC21 is a significant award in our sector, and for us to secure Silver is a fantastic achievement. It’s a very difficult standard to attain, and we really benefitted from the expertise and support of the MGP in refining our systems.”

Arrowsmith Engineering is a specialist in precision machining that includes turning, milling, thread rolling and grinding; the materials machined include titanium, nimonics, stainless steel, ‘exotic’ metals and engineering plastics.

The company has been working with the MGP since October last year, first with the SC21 application and more recently with a “gap analysis tool” for the new AS9100D aerospace quality standard.

There has also been assistance given in developing a long-term strategy and how to make the most of international opportunities.

Mr Aldridge says: “As an SME, you can sometimes get weighed down with just meeting daily customer requirements and lose track of the bigger picture.

"That’s why having a specialist from MGP, who has time to look at the overall strategy of the business, can be beneficial.”

MGP manager Michelle Connor said “One of the things we do really well is getting under the skin of the business we are supporting, and identifying the exact support they need in order to move it to the next stage.

"This is exactly what we did with Arrowsmith; and thanks to the openness of Mr Aldridge and his management team, we were able to bring in specialists to assist with the company’s SC21 accreditation.”