Faber Technology

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by Faber Technology's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from Faber Technology is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett, MP

Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles, MP

53FABER TECHNOLOGY |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2018

BrianBancroft, managing

director

The factory

Faber Technology is a specialist plastic injection moulding

company providing high-quality and cost-effective

moulding solutions to a varied client base. The company is

based in Newtown, Mid Wales. Established as a partnership in

1997, it was incorporated in 2002. It is a family business with

a company ethos of providing a top-quality and flexible service

to all customers, viewing no job as too small. Brian Bancroft,

its managing director and Arburg-trained engineer with over

30 years of experience, has built the company up from a

2-machine mould shop to a busy 14-machine strong business,

operating 24/7.

Services

Through its many years of experience, Faber is able to offer outstanding services

and highly competitive moulding solutions to a wide range of business sectors,

including those related to IT components, automotive, electronics and the

environment. Faber has an enviable reputation for being able to accommodate

small batch runs and complex designs, and offer complex, specialist design

solutions. Utilising the latest Pro/ENGINEER CAD software, our company has an

in-house CAD-trained engineer who can help see a project from thoughts on paper

through to design and, ultimately, a manufactured product. We liaise directly and

daily with the tool makers on behalf of our customers. Our meticulous attention to

detail requires repetitive tool trials and fine-tuning of the mould, ensuring that the

end product is perfect with a near-zero margin of error.

FACTS ABOUT

FABER TECHNOLOGY

»Managing director:

BrianBancroft

»Established in 1997

»Based in Newtown, Mid Wales

»Services: Plastic injection

moulding

»No. of employees: 15

»Turnover: £1.3 million

»ISO 9000:2008, ISO 14001

»“No job is too small” policy

»www.fabertechnology.co.uk

Faber Technology

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

54 | FABER TECHNOLOGY

We have also been awarded

ISO 14001, demonstrating our

commitment to the environment. We

ensure that as much of our waste

plastic as possible can be reground

without compromising its quality.

Moreover, in 2003 we were awarded

ISO 9000:2008, and with regular

internal audits we ensure that the

rigorous quality control routines that

these standards require areupheld.

Faber also has a team of assembly

workers with the requisite tools and

expertise to assemble products into

their finished form. We have the

machines and knowledge to produce

twin shot moulded parts, whereby the

finished part is made of two forms of

plastic moulded into the final product.

This has enabled us to manufacture

a more diverse range of products for

oursuppliers.

My extensive experience has enabled

the company to develop a unique over-

moulding service, whereby plastic is

moulded over a separate component.

For example, one of our clients asked

us to come up with a solution for

encapsulating an impeller shaft with

magnets and rings. We successfully

achieved the required end result with

a 0.4mm margin of error, and now

manufacture these 24/7 – just one of

our many success stories.

What makes our business

model successful?

It’s not immediately clear how a small

company such as ours could survive

in the current climate, where so much

manufacturing is moving overseas. The

short answer is that we work tirelessly

and operate some basic but effective

management methods:

Hands-on management team – Idiscuss

the technical requirements directly

with the customer; with my technical

expertise I ensure the machines are

running with optimum efficiency while

keeping a constant eye on quality.

Lean overheads – Our staff are

flexible and are able to cover different

processes in the business. Our office

team consists of Sue (finance director),

Christine (office manager) and Hannah

(office administrator). Sue is part-time

but is also able to work from home

remotely and cover for Christine.

Hannah will operate machines at

weekends or help out in dispatch too.

A happy working environment – We

have a very low staff turnover. The

average length of service for the current

team is 9.5 years. Every Thursday the

company provides a free lunch from a

local sandwich bar. We accommodate

a flexible working environment,

working around school holidays and

school hours for those who have

responsibilities for children at school.

In return a responsible, committed

and punctual approach to work is the

minimum we expect from our staff.

Additionally, our wages are above

average for our area, and we reward

pay rises annually in line with inflation

and with recognition of contribution to

the business.

Operating these basic principles of

management has resulted in a work

force that is reliable and willing to work

extra hours at weekends or evenings

when required. We are able, therefore,

The mould shop

New machine press

ready to go

All very

positive,

service is

excellent

“

55FABER TECHNOLOGY |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2018

to offer our customers complete

flexibility. We can continually adapt

our production schedules to meet

the constantly changing demands of

our customers. If they bring orders

forward, we shuffle things around

and put the hours in to meet the new

delivery date. Never a problem.

We welcome short runs too. If a client

requires just a few items, it’s not a

problem; we can accommodate it.

Managing cash

Investment – We regularly invest in

top-of-the-range injection moulding

machines, keeping our company in line

with the latest machine technology. We

don’t over-invest in systems that may

provide information overload; rather we

rely on off-the-shelf software that does

the job, backed up by in-house designed

systems and direct communication

with all members of staff.

No overly voracious shareholders – The

shareholders of the company are the

management team and we ensure that

remuneration is realistic and comes

second to investment.

Monitor cash on a daily basis – Our FD,

Sue, keeps an assiduously close eye on

the bank balance and ensures we live

within our means.

The challenges we face

Over the past five years there have

been challenges as a result of many

things. One example is increased

energy prices (35 per cent over

the last five years). Environmental

tariffs, too, are burdensome for our

sector. Another example is the extra

2 per cent cost regarding pension

costs, which has caused financial

and administrative difficulties. On

top of this, national minimum wage

changes have increased over and

above inflation. Finally, council taxes

are always on the rise, imposing yet

further costs.

All these rising costs have been

absorbed by us rather than passed on

to our customers. We have to remain

competitive so that our customers

choose us rather than overseas

suppliers. However, we will have to

react to these increased costs soon in

order to remain profitable.

Government policies that

helpus

Over the past two years we have

invested time and money in

developing our own products that

have been sold through Frenzee Ltd.

With the research and development

rebates we have been able to reduce

our corporation tax bill significantly,

which has helped us reinvest in

new machines and replacement

machineaccessories.

In any case, whatever comes our

way, we will survive. Optimism is

the prevailing sentiment at Faber

Technology.

Attention to detail right

through to despatch

Most of the team

I’ve worked with

Faber for a

number of years

now: they are a

UK moulder that

can compete

with low cost

sourcing options

from around the

world. We must

always take into

account total cost

when sourcing

products and

carbon footprint

“

The Parliamentary Review Publication, in which this article originally appeared, contained the following foreword from the prime minister.

The Rt Hon Theresa May MP's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By The Rt Hon Theresa May MP

British politics provides ample material for analysis in the pages of The Parliamentary Review. For Her Majesty’s Government, our task in the year ahead is clear: to achieve the best Brexit deal for Britain and to carry on our work to build a more prosperous and united country – one that truly works for everyone.

The right Brexit deal will not be sufficient on its own to secure a more prosperous future for Britain. We also need to ensure that our economy is ready for what tomorrow will bring. Our Modern Industrial Strategy is our plan to do that. It means Government stepping up to secure the foundations of our productivity: providing an education system that delivers the skills our economy needs, improving school standards and transforming technical education; delivering infrastructure for growth; ensuring people have the homes they need in the places they want to live. It is all about taking action for the long-term that will pay dividends in the future.

But it also goes beyond that. Government, the private sector and academia working together as strategic partners achieve far more than we could separately. That is why we have set an ambitious goal of lifting UK public and private research and development investment to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027. It is why we are developing four Grand Challenges, the big drivers of social and economic change in the world today: harnessing artificial intelligence and the data revolution; leading in changes to the future of mobility; meeting the challenges of our ageing society; and driving ahead the revolution in clean growth. By focusing our efforts on making the most of these areas of enormous potential, we can develop new exports, grow new industries and create more good jobs in every part of our country.

Years of hard work and sacrifice from the British people have got our deficit down by over three quarters. We are building on this success by taking a balanced approach to public spending. We are continuing to deal with our debts, so that our economy can remain strong and we can protect people’s jobs, and at the same time we are investing in vital public services, like our NHS. We have set out plans to increase NHS funding annually by an average by 3.4 percent in real terms: that is £394 million a week more. In return, the NHS will produce a ten-year plan, led by doctors and nurses, to eliminate waste and improve patient care.

I believe that Britain can look to the future with confidence. We are leaving the EU and setting a new course for prosperity as a global trading nation. We have a Modern Industrial Strategy that is strengthening the foundations of our economy and helping us to seize the opportunities of the future. We are investing in the public services we all rely on and helping them to grow and improve. Building on our country’s great strengths – our world-class universities and researchers, our excellent services sector, our cutting edge manufacturers, our vibrant creative industries, our dedicated public servants – we can look towards a new decade that is ripe with possibility. The government I lead is doing all it can to make that brighter future a reality for everyone in our country.

British politics provides ample material for analysis in the pages of The Parliamentary Review

The Rt Hon Theresa May MP
Prime Minister