Blyth's Tharsus shortlisted among top UK factories

Blyth-based original equipment design and manufacturer,Tharsus has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2013 Best Factory Award run by Cranfield School of Management and Works Management.

The nomination comes less than 18 months after Tharsus opened its new 31,000 sq ft manufacturing facility, part of a sustained investment programme to develop an innovative end-to-end design and manufacturing service.

Cranfield academics compared this year’s engineering factories with those that entered the awards last year and the results revealed a sharp increase in productivity and a decline in customer lead times, confirming reports that UK manufacturing has gathered speed this year.

The awards programme, now in its 22nd year, celebrates manufacturing excellence in the UK and others among the 14 shortlisted companies include those that make goods as varied as tea bags, hand-crafted mattresses, material for airbags and broadcast and professional cameras.

Tharsus, which employs 150 people across three sites, manufactures a diverse portfolio of complete electro-mechanical products and metalwork components for customers ranging from global corporations to start-up enterprises.

Brian Palmer, Tharsus CEO explained, “Our main motivation for entering the awards was to benchmark our progress against the best. This is a significant early milestone in our journey towards becoming a world-class business. Making the shortlist is a clear indication that we’ve developed the robust processes that our customers rely on from supply chain management and new product introduction to component manufacture and the assembly of fully-finished equipment.”

“We’ve built a great team at Tharsus and encourage everyone to contribute to continuous improvement across the business. We’re committed to providing opportunities for people to grow with the business and it’s always a pleasure to see people developing their skills and making an invaluable contribution to our success.”

“This year’s awards generated a high number of entries all of a very high calibre. This is very encouraging for UK manufacturing showing the sector is very much alive”, said Dr Marek Szwejczewski, director of the Best Factory Awards.

“Our awards aim to recognise the achievements of those factories that are setting the standard for British manufacturing and highlight systems and processes that others can learn from.”

Max Gosney, editor of Works Management commented: “From electronic printed circuit boards to car valeting kits and mattresses – the Best Factory Awards finalists show the glorious depth of products still being made in Great Britain. The shortlist is like lifting the lid on a long lost treasure chest. Homegrown factories, widely believed to be buried forever, come screaming out into the light like resplendent gemstones.”

Gosney added: “The 14 shortlisted sites tear apart the fallacy that the UK can only compete in high-tech ‘advanced’ manufacturing fields. Here are a group of factories who through a painstaking commitment to quality, innovative process design and outstanding people management have become world class.”

The winners will be announced at the BFA Awards Ceremony taking place on 27 September at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London.