Cope Technology, a Black Country-based manufacturer of PCB assemblies, has won back a contract that had left the UK for production in China. The company also hailed the benefits of its recent move to employee ownership.
The company, which employs 40 people at its facility on the Pensnett Trading Estate, said the reshoring win is a “significant victory”. The business supplies low and medium volume electrical assemblies for use in CCTV monitoring, traffic management, emergency vehicles, vending machines and automotive accessories.
The manufacturer was recently sold by the company founders to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), in a move supported by the Business Growth West Midlands in Dudley Programme (BGWM).
“We have a very strong history and track record in providing world class contract electronic manufacturing, with all of our attention, capital investment and supply chain management dedicated to building assemblies for our customers,” explained Production Director Adam Holmes, who has been with the company for more than two decades.
“These core values will continue under the Employee Ownership Trust, but there is also a focus on how we modernise the business and continue to digitise our operations so we can become even more efficient and potentially take our PCB knowledge into new markets.”
“When you are taking steps into the unknown for some of us, that’s when you need a good sounding board and Business Growth West Midlands has been a fantastic resource for us.
“Our Business Growth Adviser has been with us on the entire journey, providing strategic advice around planning, structure, forecasting and, importantly, building a strong employee engagement strategy. The transition has certainly been smoother with their involvement.”
Business Growth West Midlands in Dudley, which is funded by Dudley Council via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, is supporting more than 600 companies based in the borough.
Donna Watkins, business growth adviser for the BGWM in Dudley Programme, added: “It has been a pleasure to work with the senior management team at Cope Technology, who has built upon the honest communication they were having, taking our recommendations onboard and moving the business to the next level.
“What is really pleasing is the determination to get even better at what it does, and we’ll be helping them to achieve this through one-on-one support and identifying potential grants for new equipment and technology.”
