This year has highlighted some vulnerabilities in the global supply chain, from transportation delays and price increases, to increases in manufacturing costs and challenges forecasting customer demand.
There’s nothing worse for a client than to place an order for thousands of units, pay upfront for it, and realise on delivery that the drawings were mis-interpreted, or the quality is sub-standard. At CEL, we have strong Quality Assurance processes from prototyping to full-scale production - including materials certs on all steel and aluminium used in manufacture. Our raw materials come from reputable British and European suppliers and mills, and all our coating partners maintain British Standards and international standards such as ISO:9001.
We worked hand-in-hand with one of our clients to support their moving nearly all manufacturing of a leading product range from China back to the UK. Our pricing was slightly higher, though we made up the difference by offering trade credit (30 days EoM instead of 100% before the boat leaves), and importantly by delivering in weeks instead of months and allowing flexibility with product range colours and sizes our client has been able to greatly reduce inventory (frees up cash) and have fewer lost sales becuase of a lack of inventory.
It's been a win-win and we look forward to years of working together!