Tapping into expert academic support has helped manufacturing out-sourcing specialist PP Control & Automation (PP C&A — www.ppcanda.com) to win new business from the niche vehicle sector.

The company is one of the first participants in the ‘Ready 4 Electrification Programme’ run by WMG (at the University of Warwick), and it is reaping the benefits of an initiative designed to get the supply chain ready for new opportunities.

It completed a project to see how ready it was to enter the automotive electrification arena, identifying barriers to overcome and — importantly — opportunities where it could transfer its technology and engineering expertise into the market-place.

As a result, it has secured work from two businesses involved in niche vehicle manufacture, with PP C&A supplying electrical box builds and cable assemblies, as well as using its ‘design for manufacturing’ experience to reduce complexity.

Tony Hague, PP C&A chief executive, said: “There is such a ground-swell of movement towards reducing emissions in the automotive sector that we knew it was a market we had to try to get involved in, and electrification appears
to be doing most of the driving.

"As an SME, we don’t have the resources immediately available to research new or complex market sectors; that is where WMG comes into the equation.

“They have the experts in the field, who have the technical/commercial knowledge and understanding — not to mention a host of new contacts.

"We have a long-standing relationship with WMG and had no hesitation in becoming one of the first firms in the country to take part in Ready 4 Electrification. We are already delighted with the results.

"Two new contracts with niche vehicle manufacturers have been secured, and there is another in the pipeline; it has been a great start.”