2012 ended on a high for H T Brigham, with the presswork company successfully securing an order from a brand new overseas customer, worth in excess of £100,000. The customer, a global provider of highly engineered solutions for the industrial sector, was looking to source a more cost effective replacement to an existing cast component, supplied into the oil and gas industry.
Although the original enquiry was received from the company’s UK division, engineering discussions were required to take place with senior engineers based at the US headquarters. As H T Brigham’s sales team were due to visit the US the very next week, a last minute meeting was scheduled to discuss design options further.
As the prototyping and development phase of a customer project is where H T Brigham’s design engineers really like to get involved, the team were keen to get their teeth into this challenging proposition. The company’s proven track record in understanding and resolving customer component issues, meant that they were confident of providing a solution.
At the meeting, chaired by H T Brigham MD, Barry Smith, all available options were evaluated, including castings, forgings and turned parts. As the discussions progressed, it became clear that a pressed metal component would provide a solution within the tight time frame required, with a reduced time to market, lower unit cost and a higher quality than the previous design.
Back in UK, the development process continued, firm proposals were submitted and an order was received at the end of 2012 for tooling and prototype parts, with production due to commence during the second quarter of 2013. With the potential to now apply the same design principals across the rest of the customer’s product range, the value added by H T Brigham can really assist the competitive position of their newest customer.
MD, Barry Smith, said, ‘This project is a great example of the kind of opportunity that H T Brigham really jumps at. A key element of our value proposition is using our engineering skill to design out any problems that a customer faces, be that with an existing component or the design of a new one. As a truly global presswork supplier, we can offer this bespoke service irrespective of geographical location.’