The last 12 months has seen some welcome development at Middlesex Aerospace. There has been real improvements in sustainability, investment in our production facilities and people, and we have helped to support the local community too. Here’s a look at 2022 with some highlights of what has been a busy and rewarding year.
Sustainability
During 2022 we have made some great strides to improve the sustainability of the business. Many aspects of our operations, including paper, packaging, lighting, and waste materials from production processes, have an impact on the environment. So where we can make a real reduction, either in what we use or throw away, is very much welcome.
Here’s some headline facts around what we have achieved this year.
27 trees were saved from being turned to wood pulp, thanks to our partnership in the Shred-it® paper recycling scheme.
148 Tonnes of waste materials have been recycled. A big factor here has been the introduction of two new compactors, which have improved how we handle swarf during production
18,000 litres of water saved, again in part due to the new compactors recovering fluids otherwise lost during production
Next year will see further efforts being made, such as extending the use of LED lighting technology. This will make our facilities almost entirely LED-lit, reducing energy consumption from lighting by nearly 90% – and stopping expired tubes and bulbs going into landfill.
AP Cell Completion
Earlier this year we completed a new cell manufacturing facility housing a new Aluminium Prismatic (AP) Stream. The cell consists of unmanned high volume 5-axis machining units, managed via Mazatrol Software. This new cell allows us to continue to produce intricate and complicated assemblies supplied in a kit of parts to our customers in a streamlined environment.
The new cell introduces some major benefits. It will increase our flexibility in meeting incoming orders, which is further helped by our Wrap Around Team in the cell. And it further improves our lean approach to how we service customer orders. And for staff, the new cell will help them find more ways to improve quality through identifying issues much closer to when they occur and finding answers.
CMM Investment
Alongside our development of the AP cell, this year has also seen a major investment in two Co-ordinates Measurement Machines.
Both machines are made by Hexagon, leaders in providing advanced measurement technology, and are located within our Aluminium Prismatic (AP) and LMT areas.
With the new CMM machines our production will become much smoother with faster programming and reduced downtime, and will save us around 141 days in resources lost to compiling the information for First Article Inspection every year.
And while the new machines are faster in their tasks, they also use less energy. They require about 25% less air to run, which means less loading on our existing air compressor installation, with a healthy reduction in energy consumption.
Supporting Local Football Teams
In November we were delighted to agree to support a local football club which helps children get active and develop their sports and development skills.
Winklebury Wizards is a community club run solely by parents and volunteers. There are now 3 Winklebury Wizards teams in the club proudly sporting the Middlesex Aerospace logo on their kit, with funding for training equipment and associated items to help them
We hope our support will bring Winklebury Wizards success on the pitch. Just as importantly, we hope the support helps their children continue to develop, improve thir fitness and wellbeing, and become valued members within the community.
Encouraging New Talent To Precision Engineering
In early July we welcomed students from the Everest Community Academy for a tour around our facilities. It was all part of a campaign by Make UK, the manufacturer’s organisation, to encourage new talent to join the aerospace sector.
The students had a detailed tour of our production areas and offices during the day. They also had the chance to ask questions about careers in our industry and what paths they could take. This can include apprenticeship schemes and graduate intakes, and get advice on what courses may be most suitable for them.
Apprenticeships
We are very proud of our track record in helping young people develop a career in precision engineering. 2022 has seen us congratulate Jess on the successful completion of her apprenticeship. Jess is now looking forward to completing her HNC, which we will be giving her every support. We also welcomed our latest talented apprentice. Tomasz has joined us and now embarks on his 3-year apprenticeship with the Middlesex Team.