The Cornwall Manufacturers Group has been running for 15 years and currently has 50 members. On a bi-annual basis, the Awards give companies the opportunity to gain recognition for their achievements and celebrate the best that manufacturing has to offer Cornwall.
Attended by 190 people, this year’s event welcomed 35 entries across 7 awards. Senior council leaders, together with industry bodies, such as MakeUK, attended the ceremony. Chair of MadeUK and former Secretary of State for Business under Tony Blair, Lord Hutton, was the main speaker.
Sellectronics was nominated for three awards at this year’s Awards:
Manufacturer of the Year Small/Medium Company (under 100 employees) – WINNER
Established in 2008, Sellectronics has become one of the most advanced SME manufacturers in Cornwall, with services including everything from initial development to full product runs. Our customers’ requirements are complex, and we are often involved in the early-stage development of new products.
With a 100% customer retention rate and new companies joining us all the time, including Airbus and Safran, we are reputable company that you can trust.
We continue to invest in cutting-edge equipment and up-to-date software to assure reliable PCB applications.
Apprentice/Trainee of the Year – RUNNER UP
Archie Smalec – Production Engineer
Archie approached us in late 2022, after he had already enrolled and self-funded his HNC in Electronics on a 1 day per week course.
With the business objective and focus on the inspection cabinet and laser depan, Archie was tasked with developing his knowledge of this equipment, which he achieved with great competency. Going from strength to strength, he has become an integral part of the Engineering Team.
Responsible for the feasibility study, the jig making and programming; Archie took a new aerospace product and prepared it for the laser depan machine. He completed the first off runs for the FAIR and PPAP processes and has engaged with the customer during the initial audit, which is an outstanding achievement for his age and status.
Innovation/Improvement Project of the Year – WINNER
During 2022/23, we digitalised our processes and began our Smart Manufacturing Journey to improve efficiency, reduce errors and use data to improve decision making.
Traditionally many of the processes in the business were completed using excel spreadsheets, with multiple inputs and double entry. We identified the need to improve our systems, but the application for AS9100 certification further motivated us to upgrade to allow us to take the next step in growth towards £10M turnover.
Implementing these systems and creating our new processes has reduced input by the team by 95%. Data errors have almost been eradicated and the processing of quotes and POs has been reduced by days. We now have additional data to help us make quicker and more evidence-based decisions.
In 2022/23 we invested more than £100k into the digital process. An increase in efficiency has allowed us to win new work, which enabled us to take on an additional 5 employees. Another 2 people were welcomed to the team in early 2024.
Sellectronics: the story so far
Established in 2008, Sellectronics has become one of the most advanced SME manufacturers in Cornwall. With a 100% customer retention rate and new companies joining us all the time, including Airbus and Safran, we are reputable company that you can trust.
We continue to invest in cutting-edge equipment and up-to-date software to assure reliable PCB applications.
In October 2023, we achieved AS9100 accreditation, which qualifies us to work with the Aerospace and Space sector.
A ‘real’ living wage employer, all employees have attended external training including CIPS, certified electronics training, and Continuous Improvement to continue with our development strategy.
The Sales & Marketing strategy is based on increasing revenue in high-reliability sectors like Space, Aerospace and Medical. After achieving AS9100 certification in 2023, we are now able to increase our market share in this key sector.
Investing almost £1M in equipment over the last 18 months; the Engineering & Quality strategy is focused on keeping Sellectronics at the forefront of technological advances. Centred around our USP of high reliability in all environments, customers know they can count on us when reliability counts for everything. Medical, Aerospace, Space and Power Generation companies engage with us because they trust in the reliability of our products.
Based on upskilling the current workforce, our Production Strategy will also be placing a high level of importance on continuous improvement over the next 2 years, as we strive to increase the capacity of our equipment by removing non-value-added activities from the process.
We recognise that people are our most valuable asset, and we are committed to making Sellectronics the best small employer in Cornwall.
We now have comprehensive measures of performance at every level of the business. At board level, we utilise a dashboard of measures to monitor profitability, sales, operational functions and employees, which helps us make evidence-based decisions. At operational levels, we measure quality and delivery by department, and in sales we measure the level of enquiries, conversion rates and margins. Largely automated, we are also heavily investing in IT systems so live data is readily accessible.
In 2023, the business started on its net-neutral journey by conducting a full carbon foot printing exercise with the help of an external expert. ISO14001 certified, the business has pledged to become net neutral by 2030, in line with Cornwall Council’s climate emergency policy.
Electric cars have been introduced to our fleet and our cycle-to-work scheme has been embraced by several members of the team. Lift sharing is encouraged, and all business mileage is recorded for carbon monitoring purposes.
Smart meters were installed in 2023, when we also signed up for green energy contracts with our utility providers. During 2024, the business aims to fit solar power to its units to further reduce our carbon footprint.
As part of our AS9100 certification, we have had to implement fully ethical and secure purchasing practices. We audit all suppliers for performance, ethical practice and part traceability.