UK Manufacturing is Key to BT Contract Win

11th April 2006

ES Admin

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When Interface Components Ltd, was established towards the end of 2002, its founder and Managing Director Phil Stanway set himself and the company a number of goals. “To still be in business after three years was perhaps the number one priority,” says Stanway “But to expand and then persuade British Telecom that we could design and manufacture connector products to their exacting requirements were also key targets. On each count, we have succeeded and, as a bonus, we have acquired a competitive business along the way.” he adds.

The original concept of Interface Components was to provide the UK electronics industry with a new source for connector solutions at a time when many of the larger connector manufacturers were either focused on major OEM customers or withdrawing from the UK completely. It was clear to Stanway and his team that small to medium-sized companies were being ignored and set about targeting these customers by sourcing connector products from a variety of manufacturers in Europe and the Far East. The company quickly became an excellent source for RF connectors, cables and cable assemblies.

“The idea was to provide our customers with the intimate knowledge needed to understand their requirement, their application and most importantly their cost drivers and delivery expectations.” says Stanway. “As the business grew, getting the correct mix of stock was essential and holding stock of all the variants was a huge challenge. We therefore concluded that the best and quickest course of action was to make an acquisition. In June 2005, we agreed to buy an established coaxial connector company which has since been re-named Coax Connectors Ltd. We now have the ideal stock profile and, while Interface Components and Coax Connectors share the same management, each has its own sales and support teams which, together, provide the electronics industry with a comprehensive team of connector specialists.

“As a result, I really do believe that we can not only offer customers the most comprehensive selection of RF and microwave coaxial connectors, adaptors, cable, cable assemblies and tooling, but also the ability to source and supply almost any type of interconnection product.” adds Stanway.

In an effort to further differentiate Interface Components from its competition, a design and engineering capability called Fusion Components has been created. Through Interface Components and Coax Connectors, Fusion offers the UK electronics industry a full design, engineering and manufacturing resource for interconnect solutions targeting customers in the telecomms, datacomms, WLAN, GPS, medical, security, automotive and defence sectors.

The most significant result of this key design and manufacturing function within Interface Components is a contract award from British Telecom for its coaxial connector requirements. The three year contract was placed after many months of design and development work necessary to meet the stringent electrical and mechanical specifications demanded by BT. The products are produced at the company’s Twickenham facility.

“This has to be among the most demanding and prestigious contracts awarded for coaxial connectors in the UK and is evidence that local design and manufacture is still important. This local support, together with a thorough understanding of our marketplace will enable us to continue to satisfy the needs of our customers, whatever their interconnect requirements” concludes Stanway.

Picture shows part of the company's Twickenham production facility.