TMD enters the final phase of its SiG programme

After completing the first diagnostic phase of the SiG leadership programme some three years ago, TMD has since been successfully implementing the various recommendations across the company. In the next 18 months TMD plans to accelerate growth and embed improvements to meet forecast volume orders of the company’s modular microwave power modules (MPMs) and commercial amplifier products.

David Pike, TMD’s Operations Director, stated: “The SiG programme has been a significant element in assisting us to achieve our current business growth objectives. We have fully embraced the SiG programme, and its support is helping us to make improvements in several key areas, including a customised approach to maximising manufacturing flexibility, reduction in production costs and lead times, and enhanced supply chain procedures.”

SiG will support TMD through on site coaching, training, mentoring, and support for improvement activity and charters.

In June this year TMD was a finalist in the SiG All STAR event held in Nottingham, where it presented its journey through business improvement and achievements over the past three years.

Jane McAlister, TMD’s Sales and Business Development Director, commented: “As an established world leader in the supply of specialised microwave and RF products to the important aerospace sector, we are very pleased with the on-going results of the SiG programme, focusing not only on better efficiency, but right through to our increased ability to attract new customers and open up new global business markets. Involvement with SiG has also helped to raise our manufacturing profile in the UK, as evidenced by our appearance on the BBC news this year as part of a feature on the UK economy.”

The UK aerospace sector is the European leader and holds second position globally. Manufacturing some of the most sophisticated and advanced components and parts for today’s aircraft, it has created a high tech, high skill industry of some 3,000 companies, with massive benefits to the UK economy. Furthermore, the industry is expected to double over the next few years.

To fully capitalise on the enormous growth potential offered by this market it was recognised that manufacturing suppliers needed to invest in their ability to deliver a competitive performance on an international scale. In order to implement and support this strategy, non-profit company Sharing in Growth UK Ltd (SiG) was set up to take eligible suppliers through rigorous development and quality training to achieve a worldwide competitive advantage and thus share in the future growth of the UK aerospace civil and defence sector.

Established in August 2013, the SiG programme is helping more than 60 aerospace supply chain companies to improve their productivity and competitiveness so they are better placed to win a share of continued growth in the global aerospace market. Each company participates in an intense training and business transformation programme which enables them to double their sales turnover in around four years. Having helped more than 60 programme participants to secure £2.5bn in contracts totalling over 22,000 man years of high value work, SiG is well on target to safeguard 10,000 UK jobs by 2022 and to return £60 in contracts for every £1 of public investment.”

A worthy participant in the SiG programme, TMD is recognised as a world class designer and manufacturer of specialised transmitters, microwave power modules, high voltage power supplies, microwave tubes, and transponders for radar, electronic warfare and communications applications. The company also produces a range of advanced instrumentation microwave and RF amplifiers for EMC testing, scientific and medical applications. More than 70% of its products are exported - mainly to the USA.

To provide commercial and technical support for its customers in the USA, TMD opened a successful and growing US subsidiary, namely TMD Technologies, LLC. This new company is actively engaged in new business development in the States, for the entire range of TMD’s products.