Vehicle supplier reshores its operations from China
VOLT is not the only manufacturer bringing production xxxxxx
back to British shores. Bloxwich-based
Albert Jagger Engineering, which has been producing metal components for more than 70 years,
has begun re-shoring component production from China.
With support from the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry, Albert Jagger
has produced a new factory layout, introduced new technology including CNC machines and
automation, and re-trained sta using virtual and augmented reality.
As a result, the fi rm was able to produce fastening components which had previously been
imported from China for between 20 and 50% of the cost. In addition, it has slashed stockholding
costs by 50% and created space in the factory for future growth.
“The management team at Albert Jagger have delivered an amazing transformation –
visually, culturally and technologically,” says Magnus McFarlane, lead advisor with the MTC’s
transformation team. “Their strategy of re-shoring production is one that a number of UK
businesses may be considering, and at Albert Jagger they have created an agile facility and a
resilient supply chain.”
“We’ve invested in our factory and in new technologies, we have taken on sta and improved
the skills of our existing employees,” adds Garth Cooper, chief executive of Albert Jagger. “We
are already seeing the benefi ts of our strategy to re-shore and recently secured 200,000 units of
product originally outsourced to China.”
that because of the lockdown restrictions. We
had to work it out between us: a group of people
who’d never seen anything like it before, let alone
tried to install one. Simple things that you can
normally outsource to someone couldn’t be done.
We had to work with our own resources.”
The challenges didn’t end there, either, and
some were more potentially risky than others.
“We’d installed a full security system – cameras,
alarms, the lot – about a week or so before
lockdown,” recalls James. “Then, a week into
lockdown, our insurance company told us
they wouldn’t approve it and the whole thing
needed to be changed. At that point, nobody was
installing burglar alarms. That was just a typical
COVID challenge that we faced.”
To open the factory on time, fully operational
during a pandemic shows the resilience of the
close-knit VOLT team. Both brothers have been
keen to retain the family feel in all areas of the
business. “We want to work with people who
we enjoy working with and have a passion for
bikes, but we won’t sacrifi ce quality of employee
for it,” says James. “Everyone who works with
us knows that. There’s a level of structure and
professionalism, whilst also maintaining a good
spirit and a good laugh. Several of our staff are
young parents, which brings with it a level of
responsibility and adult behaviour, which has
been great for us. It’s important to enjoy work,
though. We hate bureaucracy, and want things
to be able to dealt with quickly. Adaptability is
something that’s really important for a company
like VOLT, and as soon as you start introducing
red tape you lose the ability to react quickly.”
Picking the team
This family feel, plus a local cluster of bike
enthusiasts, has made VOLT a desirable employer
in Milton Keynes, with word of the company’s
arrival creating a buzz in the town. While senior
SEPTEMBER 2020 COVER STORY
appointments were
in place ahead of time to assist
with what was meant to be the
seamless fi nal stages, employing
shopfl oor staff began just
as the country was plunged
into lockdown. The usual
interview process, followed
by an induction in the factory,
was brought online, with initial
vetting undertaken over Zoom.
“We’ve made a number
of friends and contacts over
the years who asked if there
are any jobs going, which was
particularly nice,” says James.
“Milton Keynes has been one of
our key warehousing locations
for some time, so we’ve had
contacts and people who have
worked for us on a temporary
basis there knocking on the
door to work in the factory
itself. It’s interesting, too, how
friends of friends have come
on board – people saying ‘my
brother has been into bikes for
years and would love to work
here’, which has really added to
the family feel on-site.”
For all the factory’s hightech
automation, there is still
a large part of each bike that is
built by hand – something that
James says is very important
for VOLT’s customers, some
of whom are currently on their
“third or fourth” VOLT bike.
“Most bikes are built as part
of an assembly process, with
all the parts bolted together,”
he says. “A company like
Shimano will supply a lot of
parts for us, but also for many
other bike manufacturers. To
properly diff erentiate yourself,
you want to have things that
are completely unique to you.
For us, it’s important to keep
the traditional aspects of bike-
making, but also bring some
common sense to it.
Customers, we feel,
really appreciate that.
We are a family business
and we want to give that
feel to our customers
where we can.”
A bright future
In many ways, the bike
industry is one of few that
is currently doing better
than it was at the start of
the year. Bike shops were
permitted to remain open
throughout, and the government
is currently encouraging people
to get on their bikes to stay fi t.
For VOLT, that has manifested
itself as a huge surge in interest
– one Monday morning saw over
500 email enquiries sitting in
the sales team’s inboxes.
“The UK is Europe’s fastestgrowing
e-bike market, whereas
places like Germany and the
Netherlands (where 50% of all
bikes sold are electric) have a
very mature, saturated market,”
says James. “While the UK is
behind others on e-bike sales,
the UK is the second-biggest
purchaser of bikes in Europe,
behind Germany. The e-bike
market here will defi nitely take
off within the next three to fi ve
years. As a result, our capacity
is focused on making the most
of that – we’re not looking at
selling any further afi eld for the
time being. Once we’ve cornered
the market here, we could look
to tackle some of the more
mature markets.”
www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk 15
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk