CWMBRAN COMPANY INVESTS BIG TO STAY SMALL

A specialist South Wales electronics company has made a big investment in staying small to keep it competitive against overseas rivals.

L S Design (UK) Limited, based in Ty Coch Way, Cwmbran, specialises in designing and manufacturing electronic products for a range of applications including fire detection equipment, high end audio equipment and domestic and industrial lighting.

The company has made a £70,000 investment in two key machines with the help of an Assembly Investment Grant from the Welsh Assembly Government, secured through professional advisors Broomfield & Alexander.

One of the machines is a state-of the art “pick and place” machine which enables LS Designs to handle the increasingly tiny electronic components which it needs for its circuit boards.

A high-tech solder oven completes the package and enables the company to stay on the right side of European regulations requiring the use of lead-free solder, as well as making a major contribution to efficiency.

The investment will play a key part in securing the 17 jobs the company sustains in a climate of intense overseas competition – much of which is coming from Far Eastern manufacturers.

General manager Mark Brown said that the company had developed a reputation for designing, rather than just making, the circuits their customers needed in their range of products.

“From one location, we offer design and prototyping, and then set up small manufacturing runs or full manufacturing once all stages are complete,” he said.

“We can keep ahead of the game by offering customers our experienced design engineers and working as part of their R&D team. But we also have to be able to manufacture efficiently, and with the ever-decreasing size of components these days, that’s where these two key pieces of kit come in.”

Broomfield & Alexander director Mark Jones headed the firm’s Corporate Finance Team which wrote the L S Design business plan and prepared financial statements as well as negotiating the AIG.

He said the investment was a good example of a small, specialist company accessing grant aid to keep them competitive and fast-moving.

“L S Design has built an impressive and sound business based on being able to handle a mixture of quick, short-run production jobs together with more complex, design-led projects,” he said.

“It’s a good example of the Welsh Assembly Government supporting Welsh SME’s to ensure they can stay successful and profitable in the foreseeable future.”

Photo 1
B&A director Mark Jones (left) and L S Design’s general manager Mark Brown inspect the state-of the art “pick and place” machine.

Photo 2
L S Design’s general manager Mark Brown (left) and B&A director Mark Jones with a printed circuit board manufactured using the state-of the art “pick and place” machine.