Following an exhaustive planning and field research exercise, the company has opened its first production site in Bangalore, India. Initially the operation will develop and manufacture a range of new gear pump products with production starting in October 2012. The products will be sold internationally as well as to the local domestic market where demand for precision engineered components is growing exponentially. Microprecision has also purchased a three acre site on the fast developing Bangalore Aerospace Business Park. The intention with this facility is to expand the company's medium to high volume manufacturing operations. This site will concentrate on the production of aerospace and automotive components and is expected to reach full production capacity by mid-2014. This new large production facility will complement the UK business satisfying demand from the fast growing Indian market, but also providing a low cost medium to high volume solution for our UK activities and export markets. The plan and business model has been greeted with wholehearted support from the company's major clients who are also under pressure to outsource production to trusted suppliers such as Microprecision. Far from creating concerns among the fastidious European aerospace engineering community, initial industry feedback already received to the news from Microprecision is positive – with most viewing the move as shrewdly anticipating the changing demands of the dynamic global aerospace sector. The plan is for the UK operation based in Hemel Hempstead to continue production of short-run items and ‘specials' while developing its status as an R&D centre of excellence, retaining its experienced design, engineering and production team, plus the huge range of specialist machine tools, testing and inspection facilities. The development centre at Hemel will retain the low volume manufacturing base facilities while developing and optimising more new part programmes to be put into production by the high volume manufacturing plant in India, and later a second site planned in China by 2015. The business will also continue to develop prototypes, manufacture spares, legacy components and will continue to service its domestic and European clients. Commented, Microprecision's managing director, founder Terry Grubb: “In addition to establishing sales further afield, we are also presently extending our sales activities closer to home in France, Italy and Germany and demand is certainly growing for higher volume production runs. “All our products will be supported by the technical expertise built-up over many years in the UK and as the higher volume manufacturing activities come on stream, the UK facilities will also act as a logistics hub for a proportion of re-imported Microprecision products manufactured by us in India and eventually, China. We are by no means reducing our UK footprint, but simply defending the long-term success and viability of the business by taking advantage of being able to supply new markets and geographical areas where demand is booming more cost effectively, while retaining our integrity and skills base.” www.microprecision.co.uk
