For the majority of UK designed electronic products and systems, the route to market has sign posted diversions to the Far East. Driven by the prospect of low-cost manufacture and navigated by a seemingly skilled workforce and the traffic of a captive consumer market.

This direction has worked for millions of products, allowing smaller companies and entrepreneurs to manufacture at the lowest cost possible. However recent years have seen the pace of this trend slow down as the importance of good value over takes the importance of low cost. So, what does this mean? Countries like China have offered value for money for years now. But is the relief on the company balance sheet worth more than the clear benefits domestic manufacture can reap in terms of quality and customer relationship?

Cubik Innovation are proud to be part of a revolution which is helping to bring manufacture to the UK. We believe partnering with UK based manufacturers can yield huge value, and here’s why:

‍

Better communication

The ease of communication that is achievable by being near clients, customers and suppliers is invaluable to the smooth running of a project. In addition, there is no substantial management required to pilot through time zones and costly call tariffs, meaning communication points can be frequent resulting in a sense of project partnership between customer and supplier.

‍

Faster reactions

Straightforward paths of communication mean faster reaction times. Problems can be reported and resolved quickly, shrinking the impact of potential problems.

‍

Higher quality

High quality is second nature to most UK suppliers, almost intrinsically programmed. Ensuring this quality further safeguards against future technical pitfalls and failures.

‍

Strict regulation

Production in the Far East can bring with it a host of uncertainties regarding IP legalities. Manufacturing in the UK means inventors are protected against the very real fear of ideas being stolen, copied, or reproduced. A notorious trap which many creators have fallen victim to in recent years, due to poor regulation in China. Manufacturing in the UK offers a shield against this risk.

‍

Technical edge

Although China almost certainly has the advantage of a lower labour cost, the UK is surpassing this with and influx of highly skilled engineers entering the workforce. Educational institutions from schools to universities are seeing surges in the number of students taking up STEM subjects with career aspirations in the engineering sector.

‍

Supporting local economy

Recently, UK economy has been up and down. Supporting each other through the changing landscape means less SMEs and emerging businesses will fail and could lead to gradual growth and a reduction in redundancies. In the South West of England we are extremely lucky to have a hub of innovation, a cluster of organisations that collaborate allowing important growth – a formula which is attainable in all corner of the UK.

‍

Environmentally friendly

Environmental consciousness is becoming a common hallmark in everyday life as well as in business operations. Being close to your customers and suppliers helps to limit ‘on the ground’ transportation, reducing your business’s carbon footprint. Chinese manufacture can often utilise both eco harming and person harming materials which, for the most part, have been eradicated in the UK by manufacture legislation.

For the smaller company and entrepreneur ensuring all these elements are taken care of right from project kick off is vital when budgets and timescales are tight, manufacturing domestically guarantees this is the case. Cubik’s production team are adept at providing this service.

‍

Cubik Production

As part of our full product lifecycle service, we offer production services which have the capability to deliver prototype, batch, and full-scale manufacture jobs for abroad range of customers. Our team come with 40 years combined experience in electronic manufacture incorporating stunning technical expertise with a dynamic approach which makes our team unique.

Our team members specialise in different aspects of the production line, automated SMT and specialist solder techniques and are supported by specialist assembly machinery and equipment. We also have in-house mechanical and industrial assembly capability which enables us to produce complete box builds for our customers, whilst adhering to strict quality standards.

Our customers are supported by an expert procurement team who guarantee the best quality components and materials at the lowest cost.

‍

Production customers

We have worked hard to build a loyal customer base who return to Cubik Innovation time again for the manufacture of their established products and systems.

Armortek, a family run business with roots in the South West of England are a world leading manufacturer of 1/6 scale armour kits for military model enthusiasts, with a stunning reputation for high quality service, reliability and build quality.

‍

“Pleasant, helpful and professional service.”

‍

We have been supplying Armortek with their electronics for the past year. When asked about the importance of ‘Made in the UK’, Gill added:

‍

“It is something we care deeply about, as it is core to our company ethos and part of the essence of Armortek.

Partnering with Cubik was an easy to decision to make due to the helpful and professional service and I would highly recommend manufacturing with Cubik to other SMEs. Having them close by meant is was very easy to communicate on the project.”

‍

We are currently working with brand new customers like Agillic headed by Harry Gee. Harry is working alongside Bristol’s Robotics Lab to deliver a low cost, ‘build your own robot’ designed to stimulate interest in robotics and coding amongst children and adults. Despite initial plans to move the production to the Far East, Harry has selected Cubik to manufacture the electronics for this product.

‍

“I would like to have a local, trusted supplier to work with so I can iron out any issues quickly. Manufacturing locally means I can access local funding to make a solid business case.”

‍

The project is currently ongoing, shipping 1,000 units within 10 weeks this spring.

‍

Take it to production

Manufacture in the UK is becoming more and more prevalent. We want to make this the norm, for the benefit of your company, the economy, and the wider world. Weighing up the pros and cons of manufacture in the Far East for your electronic product? Contact our production team and we can organise a consultation to explore UK manufacturing at the best cost and quality available. You could be surprised.