Product category:
Gear making and gear systems and related services
News Release from: Subcon | Subject: Gear making
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 09 June 2003
Subcon builds business for gear making
Mini Gears pecialises in the manufacture of all kinds of gears and racks and is currently expanding its ground gears section for high-speed applications.
For Stockport-based Mini Gears the key to continued success in the face of the challenge from low-cost overseas manufacturers has been to develop sophisticated niche markets The Subcon exhibition has played a significant role in making this possible
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 13 Feb 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Mini Gears is a family firm that was established in 1966.
It has tripled in size over the last seven years.
It specialises in the manufacture of all kinds of gears and racks and is currently expanding its ground gears section for high-speed applications.
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Subontracting show has machine tool zone
UK subcontract manufacturing exhibition will feature a complementary Machine Tool Zone to give machine tool companies the chance to reach a wide range of high-level buyers.
Subcontracting topic papers called for
The UK Subcon 2005 conference entitled 'Sourcing and subcontracting in global markets - survival strategies for buyers and suppliers' will be held alongside the Subcon exhibition.
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First Index, an online marketplace for buyers and suppliers of custom-manufactured components and assemblies, is using Subcon 2005 to add a new dimension to its sourcing community.
According to marketing manager Helen Lewthwaite, "In manufacturing a lot of the simpler work is going to overseas companies and the answer is to concentrate on more complex and sophisticated areas.
If you are sending jobs to the Far East you need a high volume to make the shipping worthwhile, but for medium volume precision manufacturing the picture is different.
The labour content is less significant and people are more likely to need flexibility and short lead times.
Subcon has proved to be an excellent source of this type of work for Mini Gears.
In fact, the company's Managing Director, Paul Darwent says that around 20-25% of its business has come from exhibiting at the show.
Mini Gears has been at every event since 1994 and has already booked its stand for the 2004 show which runs from 19th to 22nd April at Birmingham's NEC.
"We have had some really good long term contracts that are still running," he said.
Mini Gears' customers come from a wide range of industries, including stairlifts, valve actuators, marine, defence, leisure, compressors, diesel engines, plus many other sectors that use power transmission components.
Said Lewthwaite, "We work in partnership with the customer so that they can stay competitive.
Our engineering input from the design stage onwards helps customers save money without compromising on quality.
The main thing is to get the product right for the customer, and our expertise gives them the edge".
As a further benefit to its customers Mini Gears is also manufacturing in China for high volume parts including gears, castings, forgings and general machined components.
This gives the customer the benefit of being able to deal with a trusted supplier while taking advantage of lower manufacturing costs.
The diversity of the customer base makes for a marketing challenge.
As well as exhibiting at Subcon the company also uses direct marketing and trade press advertising.
But according to Lewthwaite, "We cover so many markets it is difficult to target advertising to cover all the possible sources of business.
The beauty of Subcon is that we can reach a lot of different markets in one hit." An unexpected bonus has been the chance to move into a completely new market sector.
The company is now a major supplier of racks and pinions to the stairlift industry as a direct result of an enquiry at Subcon.
Said Lewthwaite, " Subcon is a very important show for us and the key is the visitors that come along.
Maybe it's a sign of the times, but because business is leaner we only get the people who need to be there.
We are getting the people that matter." Subcon is one of Europe's leading subcontract engineering exhibitions and has track record of delivering the key buyers and specifiers with big budgets to spend on subcontract manufacturing and services.
This is a market that is worth GBP 52 billion a year in the UK alone and part of a wider European market with an annual worth of GBP 268 billion.
Subcon 04 takes place alongside MACH, the UK's most important exhibition for machine tools and manufacturing technology.
The two exhibitions combine to provide the only UK event where key figures responsible for major decisions on manufacturing strategy can see the full picture. Request a free brochure from Subcon ...
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