Midlands-based lightweight casting specialist Sarginsons (www.sarginsons.com) has helped a UK engine-maker get back on track after the supply of parts was disrupted by the coronavirus. Sarginsons Industries, which is based in Torrington Avenue, 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 at speed.

Jon Nottage, Sarginsons business development consultant, 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.”

The parts required three different patterns and, within just two weeks, Sarginsons has 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 3-D scanned and 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.

“Collaboration is a word that is banded about a lot but when we say it, we really mean it and that has been proven on this project. We have been having virtual daily meetings with the customer on Microsoft Teams so we have been able to share information and test results in real-time. Again, the fact that we have Magma testing, X-ray and 3-D measuring capabilities on-site has been extremely beneficial.

“On top of that, we have 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 turnround. It’s all allowed for very speedy decision-making and has meant we are way ahead of schedule in being able to deliver the first parts.

“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.”

Pictured: A member of the Sarginsons Quality Team analysing X-ray results to ensure the integrity of a component