A coating technology specialist that protects millions of electronic devices every year has extended its manufacturing outsourcing partnership with PP Control & Automation (PP C&A). P2i, which celebrated its 20th birthday last year, is using the West Midlands-based manufacturer to help bring its new 18L machine to market, delivering a solution that applies the thinnest, most robust liquid protection possible to mobile phones, medical implants, and automotive electronics.
Bringing the 18L Machine to Market
The new system takes all the firm’s capabilities and condenses them into a smaller, standalone unit that is less than half the previous model’s footprint and can be used on any shop floor in the world. It took PP C&A just six months from the idea and machine design files being sent to producing the machine, which has already been sold to five customers across the world.
“PP Control & Automation has been our manufacturing partner for more than half of our company life and its ‘DNA’ was embedded into our hugely successful existing machines. Getting them involved in our next-generation 18L model at the earliest possible stage was the natural decision,” explained Phil Millard, Head of Engineering at P2i.
New Product Introduction (NPI) Expertise
“It’s proven New Product Introduction (NPI) expertise was at the heart of the build, identifying a host of cost downs and build efficiencies and, importantly, assisting with the production engineering process,” he continued. “Completing the first build in six months was some achievement. This incredibly quick turnaround was only made possible due to the entrenched relationship we share and the complete transparency we hold, where iterations are welcomed and acted upon to improve the process and the end-use application.”
Advanced Coating Technology
P2i’s coating technology works at the molecular level thanks to its unique Plasma Enhanced Vapour Deposition chamber. Despite a host of global challenges leading to unprecedented supply chain disruption and soaring energy prices, the ambitious nano-coating specialist has continued to increase its global presence, customer satisfaction levels, and market diversification.
It now employs over 190 people globally at its facilities in Oxford in the UK, Shenzhen in China, and satellite offices in Asia and the rest of the world, including technical/sales offices in India and the USA.
Optimising Production Efficiency
Tony Hague, CEO at PP Control & Automation, shared insights into the process: “NPI is all about learning as you go and settling upon the best possible production method, driving out costs, and identifying where we can speed up the build.
“Our partnership with P2i is a fantastic example of how strategic outsourcing should work. On the 18L machine, we have been able to eliminate 20 hours from the build process, whilst still delivering the performance and quality demanded by the client.
“To develop a high-tech machine in just six months is some achievement, but I believe we’ll be even quicker next time. We both view iterations as a great learning process and this approach has delivered some fantastic bottom-line benefits.”
Scaling Up Production
P2i is expecting demand for these systems to outstrip earlier models, and PP Control & Automation has responded by building a dedicated cell capable of creating tens of units every week.
On this particular model, PP C&A has taken on more supply chain responsibility and is now offering ‘Factory Acceptance Tests’, meaning when machines head to Oxfordshire, they have been tested and are working efficiently.
Future Growth and Innovation
Martin Tolliday, Chief Operating Officer at P2i, concluded: “Our expertise is in designing and developing machines that can apply ultra-thin coatings to a wide range of applications, helping increasingly reduce the amount of e-waste produced across the world every year.
“Our technology is our USP, and to get the most out of it, we leverage PP C&A’s 50 years+ of machine build expertise as our manufacturing partner. It is a vitally important relationship that is pivotal to us growing and taking advantage of new opportunities.
“The partnership is only going to get stronger. Whilst our 18L model is being rolled out, we are already working on the next generation of equipment that will provide the fastest and largest coating application capability we’ve ever produced.”
