Whilst primarily aimed at customers operating in the aerospace sector, the implementation of SC21 will have far reaching benefits for all our customers by helping drive the performance of our own supply chain resulting in efficiency improvements in key areas such as lead time, cost, on-time delivery, and quality performance. SC21 focuses heavily on the implementation of continuous, sustainable improvement plans ( CSIP’s )  resulting in a the development of a lean, efficient, and value adding supply chain, with the resulting benefit of delivering increased value to the customer.

Kingfield Electronics has continued to attract market leading, high expectation customers with an increasing demand for the direct shipment of complex electronic systems directly to their own end users. From our perspective having an efficient, lean, flexible, and dependable supply chain is core requirement in being able to service the needs of our customers and with this in mind SC21 will look to build on the strong foundations we already have in place.

Derbyshire based contract electronics manufacturer, Kingfield Electronics, is proud to celebrate its 25th birthday this year. The company has not only grown in years, but also in size, with offerings from Kingfield now positioning the company as a leading provider of ‘Total Manufacturing Solutions’ to a range of businesses and industries.

The company, which launched in 1985, has been providing first class reliable electronics manufacturing services to a variety of market-leading, high technology companies.

As the decades have passed, the services on offer from Kingfield have gone from strength to strength. Renowned for its excellence in a variety of manufacturing, inspection, and test services, including Surface Mount Assembly and PCB Assembly, coupled with their expansion into areas such as offshore manufacturing and supply chain management, Kingfield Electronics now provides integrated total manufacturing solutions to both current and prospective customers.

Managing Director, Nick Taylor explains: “The last 18 months have proved to be challenging times for everyone. The global market place has become ever more difficult with EMS providers put under pressure to deliver increasingly flexible, quick turn-around, low cost solutions to customers operating in increasingly demanding and volatile markets. Our service offerings have enabled us not only to survive the tough economic conditions, but to actually achieve a record year in 2009/2010, and this trend looks set to continue throughout 2010/2011. To further support our service offerings we not only achieved ISO14001 Environmental Management Certification this year, but the prestigious AS9100 Aerospace Certification which underpins our increasing customer base in the Aerospace, Defence, and Military arenas. This places us alongside a handful of UK EMS which carry this certification. We actually found this a relatively easy transition given our long-established activity within the Industrial Process Control, and Scientific Instrumentation markets.”

Driving the project is Kingfield’s Quality Manager Peter Edwards who comments “In line with supporting our Aerospace and Defence sector customers, Kingfield Electronics are progressing steadily towards AS9100 accreditation. A pre-audit assessment and gap analysis has been undertaken and work is underway to implement the additional requirements of the standard and to further understand our customer expectations and needs prior to assessment in 2009. Complying with the requirements of AS9100 will further underpin our commitment to this demanding market sector”

About Kingfield Electronics
Kingfield Electronics typically works with customers requiring a One-Stop-Shop Solution to their entire manufacturing requirements. This typically begins during the initial product design phases, where Kingfield deploys its lean and low cost manufacturing strategies to be evaluated and incorporated into the client’s initial design concept. The team at Kingfield then works closely with customers throughout the new product introduction process by offering rapid prototyping capabilities with regular multi-level design and manufacturing reviews.

The Procurement Team is capable of offering Global Sourcing capabilities to provide customers with the right Supply Chain Solution to match both quality and budgetary requirements.

Unlike many other manufacturers, all initial production runs are carried out by Kingfield in the UK and then when the design has stabilized, Kingfield will look to seamlessly move this to an appropriate off-shore manufacturing partner with whom they have long term, well-established relationships.

Final box-build and product assembly services are typically carried out in the UK, and increasingly incorporate both our product configuration, and direct product shipment capabilities. This results in significantly reduced inventory holding by our customers, and virtually the entire removal of any in-house procurement, manufacturing, configuration, and logistics requirements.

Kingfield Electronics has continued to increase its services offerings to aerospace customers, and the recent accreditation to AS-9100 significantly improves our standing in this area.

We have always been associated with the supply of high quality, complex electronic systems into demanding markets such as process control instrumentation, scientific instrumentation, and a number of military market sectors. The AS-9100 certification now paves the way for the continued development of our aerospace business, and the ongoing support of our existing aerospace customers.

As a growing business we are acutely aware of the need to control and manage our environmental footprint, and achieving this certification will provide the necessary tools and capabilities to assist with this process. This accreditation is also a further step forward in meeting the requirements of our customers and enforces our ongoing commitment to reducing our impact on the environment.

We have already made significant improvements in areas such as the control of waste, and the reduction of our daily energy consumption. We have improved considerably the amount of recycling we undertake and we now have a number of ongoing improvements in place which will target areas such as seeking ways to improving the environmental performance of company suppliers and contractors. To also develop the environmental awareness amongst employees at all levels within the company.

To prevent pollution by operating in a manner designed to minimize and where possible eliminate releases to air, land and water by focusing on safe technologies, company standards and operating practices.

Kingfield can positively move forward developing and striving to achieve compliance with stated objectives and targets for improved environmental performance.

Quality and reliability are critical values for the aerospace industry and Derbyshire based Contract Electronic Manufacturer Kingfield Electronics hold these values of the upmost importance.

We have been steadily developing customers within the Aerospace industry for some time now and have an ever increasing presence within this highly demanding and life critical industry. To formalise our capability within this area, the highly respected AS9100 accreditation was one of the main improvement targets for 2008-2009.

The AS9100 Aerospace accreditation will move our internal procedures and procedures to the next level particular focusing on engineering control, process measurement, and quality reporting. As Kingfield currently offer a wide variety of services in these areas, Managing Director Nick Taylor decided that it was imperative to adopt the process controls associated with AS9100.

We began implementing the required processors and procedures to achieve AS9100 6 months ago and have already gone through the initial Gap Assessment Analysis. Naturally this highlighted areas that required additional augmentation, and we are aiming to complete these requirements and gain AS9100 approval by mid 2009 at the latest.

Driving the project is Kingfield’s Quality Manager Peter Edwards who comments “In line with supporting our Aerospace and Defence sector customers, Kingfield Electronics are progressing steadily towards AS9100 accreditation. A pre-audit assessment and gap analysis has been undertaken and work is underway to implement the additional requirements of the standard and to further understand our customer expectations and needs prior to assessment in 2009. Complying with the requirements of AS9100 will further underpin our commitment to this demanding market sector”

Once Kingfield has achieved certification emphasis will be placed on our continuously improvement processes and monitoring of internal performance so to ensure the demands of both new and existing customers are met and value is built in at all levels of the contractor / customer partnership. This utilises the philosophies associated with AS9100 to ensure that it becomes a very effective business tool helping the business maintain a lean and competitive advantage.

Following efforts to increase staff training by supporting over 40 Kingfield employees through both NVQ and IPC training, a presentation was held in order to show our recognition and pride in our employee’s achievements. Joining the Kingfield team where representatives from The Chamber of Commerce, Learning Skills Council, Train to Gain, West Nottinghamshire College and ETS who all individually helped the employees to achieve their goals. Photographers helped to capture the moment as employees received their certificates and a gift from Kingfield’s Managing Director, Nick Taylor.

Alan Oldale, General manager at Kingfield commented, “I am personally very proud to see the first group of employees achieve their goals as I have worked very closely with our staff and the assessors from West Nottinghamshire College. Kingfield has supported our employees during the training phase, and I believe that this qualification gives our staff an increased sense of self achievement and pride in their own work. One of our prime objectives is to increase employee ownership of their respective activities and hopefully promote a greater sense of achievement. These qualifications allow them a greater understanding of the standards we desire, and helps give them the tools they need to ensure the production of continued defect free product”. The remaining individuals will have finished the course during the coming months, and the level 3 NVQ qualification paves the way for further training activities in 2009.

Building on the 22% growth shown in 2007, Chesterfield based CEM, Kingfield Electronics has built on its existing employee development programmes with the completion of both NVQ level 3 and IPC training courses. In addition to developing existing staff, seven new individuals have also joined the company recently bringing a range of new skills to a number of areas within the organisation.

Sandra Crookes, HR Manager explains,
“As the business has continued to flourish and prosper during the first half of 2008, the workforce has also evolved to keep pace with the changing needs of the business. Existing staff have developed new skills through the excellent training programmes in place, and we have identified opportunities for promotion and career development where appropriate. Of course the increase in new customers determined that our workforce grew and therefore new members of staff have also been recruited. The Kingfield workforce has always been a cohesive team who embrace the company values, so it was important that new members of staff embrace this culture whilst at the same time allowing their own personalities to shine.

I think we have achieved that and are now at a point where teams totally support each other, sharing experiences and knowledge with the “new comers”. Everyone is committed to the exciting future and looking forward to new challenges and adapting to change.”

Following the successes shown in 2007, Kingfield has enjoyed continued growth over the last 6-months, winning new business opportunities with a number of blue-chip, market leading organisations. The ongoing development of our team remains a key priority in ensuring we are capable of meeting the ever changing demands of our customers and ensures that we remain a lean organization capable of competing in today’s demanding marketplace.

In recognition of our growing presence in the aerospace sector Kingfield has become a corporate member of both the Midland Aerospace Alliance and the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC). SBAC is the UK’s national trade association representing companies supplying civil air transport, defence, homeland security and space products.

Alan Oldale, Kingfield’s Continuous Improvement Manager states “As we have been operating within the aerospace sector for some time we thought it was sensible that we take on a bigger role within the aerospace community on both a local and national level. One initiative we will be participating in is called 21st Century Supply Chains, also known as SC21.

SC21 aims to improve the competitiveness of the aerospace and defence industry. With international competition increasing, the participation of companies like Kingfield Electronics to the UK supply chain is crucial to delivering real results from this improvement programme.

Our aerospace customers are global market leaders in their respective fields and as a result of working with these companies we have benefited significantly from their input into our business via audit routines, joint programmes and other initiatives. As a result we have a ‘leaner’ organisation and able to take an active part in the SC21 initiative”.

The completion of the 2007/2008 financial year has been regarded as a very good year for Kingfield Electronics. A combination of organic growth and the addition of a number of new customers has enabled the business to grow by over 20% over the past 12-months at a time when other electronic manufacturing businesses are contracting within the UK.

Nick Taylor, Managing Director of Kingfield Electronics states, “I put our continued success down to attention to detail, hard work, and a good manufacturing strategy. Over the past 12-months we have focussed more intently on listening to our customers and have made appropriate changes to our business model”.

Amongst other things we have:-

• Implemented a new ERP system which will enable us to manage our business interests in both the UK and Hong Kong
• Develop our ‘blended’ model with both UK and Chinese manufacturing capabilities
• Started to implement lean manufacturing techniques throughout our business cells
• AS9100 and ISO14001 accreditations in progress and planned to be achieved before the end of 2008.
• Added additional capital equipment to further increase capacity and process capability
• Secured additional manufacturing floor space by taking a further business unit
• Introduced three new customers and secured a prestigious aerospace approval”
• Seen our business grow by over 20% in terms of turnover and profitability

2008 will see continued rationalisation of the CEM marketplace, and the changes we are making will strengthen our ability to cope with the ever changing demands of our customers. The ability to react, adapt, and where possible exceed their expectations will remain key drivers for the coming year. 2008 will invariably present new challenges, and I look forward to those challenges, and the opportunities that they will bring.

Kingfield Electronics Ltd has made its UK facility in Chesterfield a centre of excellence for mission critical, high reliability electronics.

Dave Bailey, Operations Director explains, “Some three years ago we recognised that the globalisation of the EMS market would mean our offering in the UK would need to change. The ability of both Eastern European and Asian EMS providers to compete with their UK counterparts on price meant a strategy review was in order. That’s why we put our own offshore manufacturing offering place with our Chinese partners three years ago. This part of our business has now grown to a point where we now offer our customers the opportunity to build their products in the geographic region of their choice.

In addition it has meant that our UK EMS solution has changed and it now focuses more heavily than before on ‘niche’, low to medium volume, high reliability electronics typified by the instrumentation, aerospace and defence sectors. In essence, we have created a ‘centre of excellence’ in the UK for manufacturing these types of projects.

Typically our clients have very specific requirements of their EMS provider with regards to build quality, technical specification and input into the product design. This requires us to be involved at a much earlier stage in the project working with both product designers and engineers alike. As a result of this we are able to save project time, cost and help improve the long term reliability of the product”.