How stable is your supply chain? The past two years have certainly presented the biggest challenges on manufacturing supply chains the world over. As we emerge from a global pandemic, we are witnessing a changed economic landscape for manufacturers and their customers.
The pandemic has created a less global, more local economy which presents opportunities for those able to adapt quickly. As part of this transformation, industries are looking to bring supply chains closer to home and are creating major “reshoring” opportunities.
Reshoring presents a significant opportunity of growth for the UK manufacturing sector, whilst providing a number of key benefits to the companies looking closer to home for suppliers.
Key benefits of reshoring manufacturing:
- A supplier in the UK significantly reduces, in some cases completely removes, the risk of a supply chain collapsing.
- Weather, raw material shortages and a whole spectrum of other factors, including the apparent border control delays can have a huge knock-on effect in delivery schedules. Reshoring manufacturing can help avoid risk of delays in delivery.
- Frequent site visits and ease of communication allow for tighter control over product quality and ensuring industry standards are met.
- Quite often is the case when contracting overseas suppliers, questions surrounding ethical practice can arise. Remove any uncertainty around this and KNOW your supplier.
- Working in the same time zone reduces delays in communication and allows speedy response to problem solving. Communicating in the same native language also prevents any barriers to business including design, metrics and trade contracts.
- Visiting overseas suppliers is often time consuming and costly to the company. Reshoring will significantly reduce travel costs and resources required to visit suppliers, allowing for more frequent face-to-face meetings.
- From prototyping and samples to timely overseas freight processes, reshoring production can reduce overall turnaround time.
- Reshoring manufacturing can reduce or eliminate delivery costs entirely.
Reshoring is highlighting the skills, resources and ability for innovation that the UK manufacturing sector boasts. As the UK continues to recover from the recent pandemic and adapt to the implications of Brexit, there is a silver lining in witnessing more companies transition and support UK manufacturers.
How Orbital Fabrications can help
Since 1988, Orbital Fabrications has been offering in-house and site installation of high purity stainless steel pipework, manifolds and control systems, serving the semiconductor, pharma and process industries.
Within our purpose-built, technologically advanced facilities in St. Ives, Cambridgeshire we house some of the UK’s best-equipped workshops including our cleanroom and machine shop. These premises allow us to offer orbital welding services including orbital welding, manual welding and tube welding, chemical cleaning and helium leak testing plus much more. Our highly skilled team also provides comprehensive on-site orbital and micro TIG welding plus installation services.
We are a proven and trusted leading designer, producer and installer of gas delivery systems and fluid systems and equipment for the pharmaceutical industry amongst others, semiconductor, biopharma, medical, laboratory, chemical and allied industries.
Working at your premises we can perform specialist pipework installations either as an orbitally welded system or as a mechanical installation employing compression fittings such as the Swagelok twin ferrule system. We offer a full installation service from the commissioning of our systems to a complete turnkey solution.
We are also familiar with dual containment systems suitable for toxic, flammable, and pyrophoric gases. We can provide a full documentation package containing certified material traceability, leak and pressure test certificates, welder qualifications and weld map drawings, so you can be assured that all work carried out by us is of a remarkably high standard.
There really is no need to look further than Orbital Fabrications, we are experts in the fabrication and installation of high purity stainless steel pipework, manifolds and control systems.