A leading manufacturer of PCB assemblies is enjoying the fruits of employee-ownership after it reshored a significant product range.
Cope Technology, which employs 40 people at its facility on the Pensnett Trading Estate, has successfully won back a contract that had left the UK for production in China after demonstrating world class quality and speed of response that couldn’t be matched in the Far East.
It’s a significant victory for the 40-year-old firm, who supplies low and medium volume electrical assemblies for use in CCTV monitoring, traffic management, emergency vehicles, vending machines and automotive accessories.
The Black Country-based manufacturer was recently sold by the company founders to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), giving staff the opportunity to gain a share and voice in its future direction.
This pivotal transformation has been supported by the Business Growth West Midlands in Dudley Programme (BGWM), who has provided the new management team with strategic planning advice and support in employee engagement.
“We have a very strong history and track record in providing world class contract electronic manufacturing, with all of our attention, capital investment and supply chain management dedicated to building assemblies for our customers,” explained Production Director Adam Holmes, who has been with the company for more than two decades.
“These core values will continue under the Employee Ownership Trust, but there is also a focus on how we modernise the business and continue to digitise our operations so we can become even more efficient and potentially take our PCB knowledge into new markets.”
He continued: “When you are taking steps into the unknown for some of us, that’s when you need a good sounding board and Business Growth West Midlands has been a fantastic resource for us.
“Our Business Growth Adviser has been with us on the entire journey, providing strategic advice around planning, structure, forecasting and, importantly, building a strong employee engagement strategy. The transition has certainly been smoother with their involvement!”
Cope Technology tapped into the GROWTHmapper® tool, a free business diagnostic which SMEs benefit from when participating in the Business Growth West Midlands in Dudley programme.
This helped the new management team identify strengths and weaknesses within its operations and prompted honest discussions among the team. The insights grained have been instrumental in taking the business forward, securing the recent reshoring win and accessing additional support and grants.
Adam also attended a workshop on digital manufacturing and a factory tour hosted by Thomas Dudley, who is one of its clients.
This event not only provided practical insights into automation and digitalisation, but also enhanced the firm’s understanding of the end-product assembly process, bridging the gap between different stages of production.
Donna Watkins, Business Growth Adviser for the BGWM in Dudley Programme, went on to add:
“It has been a pleasure to work with the senior management team at Cope Technology, who has built upon the honest communication they were having, taking our recommendations onboard and moving the business to the next level.
“What is really pleasing is the determination to get even better at what it does, and we’ll be helping them to achieve this through one-on-one support and identifying potential grants for new equipment and technology.”
Business Growth West Midlands in Dudley, which is funded by Dudley Council via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, is supporting more than 600 companies based in the borough with advice from local Business Growth Advisers.
Run by Oxford Innovation Advice, the initiative delivers an information, diagnostic, brokerage, and account management service to support local businesses to thrive, innovate, and grow, whilst also supporting entrepreneurs to progress their ideas.
A special focus is placed on helping firms in key local sectors and engaging with harder to reach groups, such as women-led and ethnic minority-led businesses.
Adam concluded: “I can’t praise the support we’ve had enough and would recommend other growing SMEs in Dudley to tap into what is on offer. The external expertise has been instrumental in helping us through a period of significant transformation and laying down the foundations for the next forty years in our history.”
www.cope-technology.co.uk www.businessgrowthwestmidlands.org
Photo: (l-r) Donna Watkins (BGWM in Dudley) with John Cope and Adam Holmes (both Cope Technology)
