EXECUTIVE INSIGHT LEADING THE PROFESSIONAL CHARGE
SUMMER 2022
ISSUE #49
AMC CONNECTING THE UK’S LEADING CABLE MANUFACTURER TO BUSINESSES WORLDWIDE EXECUTIVE INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPEAKS TO MR. BRENT COLLINS, MD OF AMC ABOUT HIS FIRST YEAR IN CHARGE, SUCCESSES ACHIEVED, AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
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Connecting the UK’s leading Cable Manufacturer to businesses worldwide With manufacturing being the stable field of the UK economy, Executive Insight Magazine talks to Brent Collins, Managing Director of AMC, the UK’s leading Extra Low Voltage (ELV) cable manufacturer, where we discuss his first year at the company, successes achieved, and how he and the AMC team, aims to build upon these successes over the next 12-18 months.
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n just under forty years of enterprise, Auto Marine Cables grew to become the UK’s leading manufacturer and provider of extra low voltage cable (ELV). AMC doesn’t just serve multiple UK customers; it is also developing a wide distribution network overseas. With this, their world-class products manufactured at their Worsley facility in Manchester can be procured by a host of international organisations for their operational needs across multiple industry sectors.
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Employing over sixty skilled individuals across their two adjoining sites in Worsley, Manchester, there is an opportunity for the staff to continue developing additional skills under AMC’s brand of leadership, with additions in the region of 15%+ as the company develops in the short-term. With one of the business’s core values, investing in people, and in future talent, there is a real drive to see people flourishing within the company, especially as they continue to grow. Teamwork is also a massive fundamental for success and something that certainly speaks volumes of the staff given the past 12 months’ performance. The leadership team has also implemented new intelligent KPIs into the business, which allows all staff to benefit from the increase in company growth and replicate their hard work and commitment to the task ahead. Upon Brent joining the company on May 4th, 2021, the business was still operating under the name of Auto Marine Cables. One of the first things addressed was a business rebrand and from this, Auto Marine Cables transformed into AMC, and a better identity for their manufactured cable products was formed. This identity was most definitely required as when joining the business, there was no identity or branding on the reels of cables manufactured. Unbelievable as being the UK’s leading manufacturer of such cables, it needed to
be known that customers were getting the quality that AMC provides. When asking why this rebrand was important, “with the company being known as Auto Marine Cables, there would be an assumption that the business only served the Automotive & Marine sectors, however, with multiple industries relying on extra low voltage cable across the UK, let alone overseas, there was the need to emphasize that we’re open to serve all industries and with this, increase our export business to the 49 plus countries in which we already serve our products to”. It’s worth mentioning that AMC doesn’t just specialize in the manufacturing of high-quality extra low voltage cable production, they also provide many other products from reputable manufacturers which range from, Terminals / Connectors, Circuit Protection Products, Relays & Holders, Sleeving, Tapes, and many more, with new products being released regularly as well. As is the need to constantly innovate. AMC’s stand-out product on offer is its Oceanflex range. The cable is a high-temperature thin wall low voltage wiring cable suitable for use in marine, other harsh environments, and automotive sectors. The tinned copper conductors make this cable more resistant to corrosion. AMC manufactures the tinned copper single core cables, plus multiple variants of their multicore cable range which they’re continu-
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ously innovating and developing further. With this ongoing development in their product range, it will allow AMC to yield more of the £160Billion annual spend which goes through the global cable manufacturing sector, and being the leader in the UK, it will fall hand in hand as they continue to expand, especially with more industries relying further on high-quality cable products. Discussing Brent’s first year as Managing Director at AMC, we hear that it’s been nothing short of exceptional what the team is achieving, “This year we are tracking ahead of last year’s record, which runs from October to September. If you refer back to pre-pandemic levels, our first year’s growth was 22%, and this year is set to achieve 33% growth with an estimated year three-position growth
trajectory of somewhat 50% up. We will have seen over 7,000,000 extra meters of cable sold in one year” This falls well in line with the roadmap Brent and the Board have set out in AMC’s strategic ambitions for the next few years. Since joining the business, these developments have not just happened overnight, “We’ve been quite strategic in investing and investing wisely. There has been an investment into a new ERP system, which is currently being implemented and due to be fully operational in the summer and is scalable as part of our growth and will connect, stocking policies with customer insights and what’s happening to the marketplace. We’ve bought in a new Sales Inventory and Ops Planning (SIOP) process, which allows us to understand when communicating
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with our current clients, what they’re doing, where they’re going, and how we position that back into the business to become a strategic partner. This is vital so we can put the right inventory in place and with the right inventory, cascade down into the production plan to streamline everything, called master planning and scheduling or MPS for short” This is effectively going to reduce waste and ensure that the customers of AMC are getting the absolute best value for their money, and whilst doing so, suppliers understand what they need and when they need it. With such systems in place, it will take the business to the next level in terms of modern manufacturing which will also have a big impact on the future of operational revenues and profit margins in a highly volatile cost-driven marketplace. With Brent’s background in operational planning and supply chain, there have been changes across the factory floor which has effectively created more operational space to drive and challenge the business to increase its value-added proposition to the market. A career that Brent is always open to discussing when approached, therefore inspiring success amongst individuals who are out to forge a career in leadership and business management. Asking what has been done in-house to allow for further space, Brent continues to explain “We’ve been positioning inventory in recently invested modular systems, three to be exact, which are floor to ceiling tray systems that can hold 750 kg per tray.
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Each rotates like a carousel, so rather than holding inventory on the floor and in racks, we now have a system where you can call something up via the computer, linked to our ERP system. As you may appreciate this drives efficiency in purchasing practices
and has so far saved us 30% on the factory floor. As a board, we are driven to invest to enhance efficiencies and are not scared to invest even further if required”. With AMC growing at an impressive rate and the need to adapt the organisational planning of the
Alphagary Alphagary’s facility in Chinley (Derbyshire) first opened its doors in 2008 under the name Vinyl Compounds, quickly establishing itself as a leading producer of PVC compounds into a wide range of applications. In 2017, the business joined the growing Alphagary group of companies, and in 2019, it announced the completion of its $6 million expansion targeted towards the production of calcium-zinc stabilisers designed for PVC compounds. Alphagary enjoys a long-standing supply partnership with Auto Marine Cables (AMC). Key to this relationship is Alphagary’s ability to formulate bespoke compounds that are designed for harsh environments. Cables and wires made by AMC require materials that provide features such as high temperature performance, and oil and fuel resistance. Alphagary is able to innovate solutions that allow AMC to create high-performing products for under-bonnet, industrial and other applications. Over the decades, Alphagary’s compound portfolio has expanded to include other polymers such as olefin, thermoplastic elastomer, and urethane. Created for durable, high-performing, and functional products, Alphagary’s compounds, stabilisers, plasticisers and colourants are used in a variety of applications in the healthcare, communications, energy, building & construction, consumer goods, automotive and footwear sectors. Alphagary, an Orbia company, has 2,500 employees across nine manufacturing facilities. The Orbia businesses and their commercial brands have a collective focus on expanding access to health and wellness, reinventing the future of cities and homes, ensuring food and water security, connecting communities to data infrastructure and accelerating a sustainable, circular economy with basic and advanced materials and solutions. www.alphagary.com • www.orbia.com
Alphagary is a leading, global manufacturer of vinyl, thermoplastic elastomer and other specialty compounds. We also manufacture stabilisers, plasticisers, and colorants designed for use in vinyl compounds. As material scientists, it is our job to innovate solutions for our customers that allow them to create functional, durable and high-performing products that empower our every-day life in communications, healthcare, transportation, food contact, building, consumer goods and various other sectors. Alphagary is committed to sustainable development. This mindset includes actions at our facilities, with our products, and for our people. To learn more, please visit our website at www.alphagary.com
COMPOUNDS | STABILISERS | PLASTICISERS | COLORANTS Alphagary is part of Orbia, a community of companies working together to tackle some of the world’s most complex challenges. We are bound by a common purpose: To Advance Life Around the World
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We’ve been quite strategic in investing and investing wisely.
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factory floor to accommodate such growth, we were keen to learn more about further services and developments the team has in mind, which can support their customer’s needs in the not-too-distant future, “There is also the potential for other value-added activities we can provide that our client base might deem non-value-added for them. By talking to our client base adding simple assembly and sub-assembly work to speed up their installation and complex power management and wiring systems is there to enhance our service, support, and value to our current and future client base”. Customer focus is something taken very seriously by AMC, Brent, and the expert team, therefore ensuring that their customers get the best value for money and a quality reputable product. With more of a direction now in terms of product branding, it’s not only just customers who are vying to procure from AMC but competitor stockists as well. Talking more about what goes into their
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AES AES are proud to be celebrating its 30th year supplying the automotive industry, including AMC who have become a key customer/supplier partner of AES over the last 30 years. AES specialise in Flexible Conduit Systems and Connector Interfaces that protect critical and electrical wiring assemblies and provide aftermarket automotive products and associated accessories to the global market. AES is the UK’s leading global distributor and exporter of Harnessflex products and is a high-volume specialist stockist of the complete Harnessflex portfolio, supplying the world’s leading harness makers and OEMs With literally thousands of bespoke automotive wiring protection combinations and aftermarket products, AES can provide a high-quality solution to support your project. AES provides dedicated Account Management with exceptional customer service with unparalleled knowledge and understanding of the products and industries into which we sell. AES offer competitive and contract pricing structures, short lead times, packaging/labelling support, zero minimum order quantities and quality/ warranty product support. Auto Electrical Supplies (Export) Limited was established in 2014 to improve export capability giving non UK customers a clear identity for overseas trade and AES USA Corp was established in 2016 based in Illinois, USA to further support our global presence. AES are THE QUEEN’S AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE: INTERNATIONAL TRADE 2020 winners, which places AES amongst the crème de la crème of British business in the International Trade category. Please contact our team at sales@aes.group or 01924 364464 we would be happy to discuss your requirements
core products in terms of quality components, the transparency from Brent in what customers can expect from the company is exceptional “Flexibility of our cable is a real USP along with our copper content and with this, people using it can deal with any installation work with relative ease. Other cables are less so and more rigid thus harder to manipulate and work with” Customer Focus initiatives and giving your client base what competitors can’t is a fundamental part of any business, regardless of size or industry served. It’s worth noting that another equally valuable area is the
supply chain function and how this is managed. Over the years of mastering their operations, AMC has built a reliable and trustworthy supply chain partnership network, where they rely upon not just UK-based partners, but international partners too. The increase of production within the business and the past 12 months’ growth have had a very valuable impact not just directly on the company, but throughout the valued supply chain as well. Something which will continue as the growth plans of the business is met. Throughout the Covid pandemic and even in
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some cases now, multiple supply chains were affected by this, and their ability to deliver the required components so their customers could continue production. Even when the supply chain partners of AMC were suffering shortages of their own, it didn’t affect how AMC could maintain its productivity. Previously described, the main part of the products manufactured by the company is the high-quality ELV cables. AMC was able to mix masterbatches throughout the pandemic of its sheathing colour pigmentations to balance its production to support varying colour cable demands. A masterstroke from the team in terms of supply chain planning and their vision for best practice. Following on from previous comments about AMC being a keen investor in talent and individuals within the business, this also expands outside of the factory floor. “Last year, AMC was approached by professional sailor Christian Kargl to provide Oceanflex cables for his 4050 nautical mile race across the Atlantic in which he came third, we saw this as a great opportunity to not only provide our cables which powered his race but to be the lead sponsor for his yacht, so our name was fully out there and how we can be relied upon not just
in the business world, but the sporting world as well” an inspired decision to market the brand across what is a well-renowned race in the yachting regatta calendar. The company also has an interest in sponsoring local sporting developments where one of the staff at AMC runs a local boxing club which AMC has also proudly sponsored. Brent has gained great experience in leadership roles from several vantage points within the Engineering and Manufacturing Sectors for the past two decades. By his nature, teamwork is everything. This can be linked back to his sporting days way before setting out on his professional journey, and once on his team are challenged and channelled to always attain for better or best. Clearly enjoying his new role in the first 12 months at AMC, it also helps that the board has full faith in his leadership and visions for the future “I really couldn’t ask for a better set of shareholders, senior leaders, and team members who are allowing me to take this business to the next level in its sales and operational journey. I really do believe I have found my calling card with AMC and am very excited for my second year leading the business and reaching the targets set out within the roadmap”.
A Global Supplier of Flexible Conduit Systems and Aftermarket Automotive Components AES are proud to be celebrating their 30TH year supplying the automotive industry, including AMC who have become a key customer/supplier partner over the last 30 years. AES are a high volume stockist specialising in conduit and connector interfaces that protect critical and electrical wiring assemblies, as well as providing aftermarket products and associated accessories from a huge selection of leading brands
AES are THE QUEEN’S AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE: INTERNATIONAL TRADE 2020 winners, which places AES amongst the crème de la crème of British business in the International Trade category.
128 Thornes Lane, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF2 7RE Phone: +44 01924 364464 Fax: +44 01924 299289
Please contact our team at sales@aes.group and see our product range at www.aes.group
www.automarinecables.com
EXECUTIVE INSIGHT LEADING THE PROFESSIONAL CHARGE
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