Encocam celebrates 30 years of Innovation and Success!
Encocam celebrates 30 years of Innovation and Success: 30 years after Encocam was first started, a celebration event was held for its customers, suppliers and partners.
Encocam celebrates 30 years of Innovation and Success: 30 years after Encocam was first started, a celebration event was held for its customers, suppliers and partners. Focusing on Innovation and International Trade, this took place on 27th April 2018 at one of the company’s four sites, where the factory floor was transformed into a temporary conference venue. Visitors had the chance to hear keynote speeches, tour the factories and engineering facilities, visit exhibition stands and see demonstrations of the company’s unique capabilities.
As innovation was a key theme of the event, Founder and Chairman Dr Mike Ashmead explained how Encocam was established in 1988 with the goal of manufacturing aluminium honeycomb to be sold and used all over the world. He described how the company has innovated and grown to now have eight divisions working in seven industries, ranging from energy absorbers and safety test products for the automotive sector, through to architectural panels, motorbikes and racing products all through a desire to meet the needs of customers and solve their engineering challenges. Guest speaker Felicity Burch, Head of Innovation & Digital at the Confederation of British industry (CBI), spoke about innovation in business and how to create a great environment for new ideas
This event was a celebration of innovation. As a group we are always looking for new opportunities and our brands have developed as new products and opportunities have arisen and ideas progressed into product lines. This ethos has helped steer the company in the many directions it has taken and will enable us to grow and develop further.Mike Ashmead, Chairman & Founder
Mike Ashmead, Chairman & Founder
Another theme of the event was international trade as last year, one of Encocam’s divisions received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade and over 80% of everything the company manufactures is exported worldwide. Baroness Brown of Cambridge (Julia King, DBE) delivered the opening keynote talking about engineering and the importance of the manufacturing sector, as well as the role of international trade in growing the economy. She explained how in her role as Business Ambassador, she acts as an advocate of the UK abroad, promoting the UK’s excellence, economy, business environment and reputation as the international trade and inward investment partner of choice.
Other speakers included: Jonathan Djanogly, MP for Huntingdon, John Bridge OBE DL Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce and Richard Bond, Business Correspondent for the BBC.
An additional attraction of the event was the opportunity for visitors to tour Encocam’s factories and engineering facilities and find out more about the different divisions and broad product range. They saw where aluminium honeycomb core is manufactured and how it is used to create bespoke composite panels, decorative panels and market-leading crash test barriers. Guests were also able to find out about the development and manufacture of crash test dummies by visiting the dummy lab and moulding facility, as well as learn more about Herald Motor Co. and the company’s aim to develop a British built motorcycle which will be designed and assembled in the UK.
A highlight for many delegates was the demonstration of the newly installed Impact Sled which, complete with crash test dummy, was operated at 20mph. Plus there was the chance to meet the Oxford Brookes Racing Formula Student team and hear about the racing car they are building, which uses Corex aluminium honeycomb in the chassis.
When I started the company in 1988, I did not anticipate how it would develop over the years. Through the hard work and dedication of many people we have grown and continue to do so. This event enabled us to celebrate our success as a business with our customers, suppliers and business partners. We wanted to provide a great chance to network and share ideas, as well as thank everyone who has contributed to Encocam’s success over the past 30 years.
Mike Ashmead, Chairman & Founder
Encocam, a world leading engineering company, announced today that Paul Cope will become Managing Director with immediate effect. He will report to Founder and Chairman of the Board Dr Mike Ashmead, who has been the Managing Director since the company started in 1988.
Encocam is privately-owned and based in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, where all products are manufactured and distributed. The company has eight divisions working in seven main industries, ranging from passive safety test equipment (including crash test barriers and crash test dummies) for the automotive sector, through to architectural panels, motorbikes and racing products. Over 80% of everything manufactured is exported worldwide and they employ approximately 200 people.
This year Encocam will celebrate 30 years of success with an anniversary event held on 27th April at their site in Huntingdon. Guests will have the opportunity to hear keynote speeches focusing on innovation, global trade and operations and tour the engineering facilities.
Over the last three decades, our reputation in the industries we are involved in has gone from strength to strength. We are always pushing the market forward as a business with new products that aim to meet our clients’ needs, supported by our continued investment in people and facilities. Paul has already been working with us on developing our systems and operating efficiency. I am confident he is the right person to drive the business forward as we enter our next decade, while I continue to focus on business development and innovation.
Dr Mike Ashmead, Founder and Chairman of the Board
Mr Cope has a degree in Physics and started his career in avionic systems research as an electronics engineer with GEC-Marconi. After reading accountancy and tax, he joined the medical solutions manufacturer, Baxter Inc. in his first financial role. Further accounting and commercial roles followed with Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Bayer Group and Courtaulds plc as Finance Director. Next Paul moved into general business management running a Courtaulds multiple site packaging business. Following this he took the opportunity to play a part in restructuring an operating division of the printer St Ives plc as Managing Director and subsequently newly acquired businesses with RPC plc. Paul was Managing Director of March Foods Ltd until 2014 and has been working with other business interests since.
30 years of innovation – In 2018 Encocam will have been in the engineering business for three decades and are planning a big celebration with customers and business partners. We have been through much change over the years, adapting to our customer requirements and industry demands, to establish ourselves as the world leading engineering company that we are today – definitely a cause for celebration!
It’s hard to believe that it’s five years since we celebrated our last landmark, our 25th anniversary of engineering and manufacturing success. We held a weekend of educational presentations, networking events and fun activities for employees and customers.
We were pleased to welcome guests to celebrate with us and hear about the 25 years of opportunities and challenges we have faced, from decreasing budgets to increasing competition and market uncertainty. Encocam has always been a champion of innovation which has kept the company strong through the years and will continue to do so. The celebration included a number of technical and keynote speakers giving presentations, including the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, MIRA, Altair, the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, and our Project Engineers. This was followed by tours of our sites. Key suppliers and stakeholders attended giving an opportunity for networking.
In April 2018 we will be welcoming suppliers, business partners and guests to join our celebrations of 30 years of innovation and successful business and growth. We will have guests from the automotive testing industry, looking at the past, present and future of the sector. We will be showing our guests round our facilities and share our exciting product plans. In addition, we hope to have a small number of exhibitors, who are key to the sector, showcasing the latest advances and technology. The other areas of our business will also be represented with guest speakers and exhibitors from the motorcycle industry, Formula Student motor racing and bespoke composite panels.
Encocam is thrilled to be in the Top 10 of Grant Thornton’s List of Emerging Companies in Cambridgeshire, as reported by The Cambridgeshire News on 16th November 2017.
The Cambridgeshire companies pushing at the door of the top 100 in the county reveal a diverse collection of growing companies, with a wide range of sectors represented in this list of ‘ones to watch’. After a year of investment, Cambridgeshire’s top companies have stormed on in the last 12 months, reporting growth that outstrips the national average, says the 2017 edition of The Cambridgeshire Ltd study, conducted annually by financial and business advisers Grant Thornton. It provides an in-depth financial analysis of the county’s 100 largest companies which are both owned and managed from within Cambridgeshire.
Twenty-five names of emerging companies, including Encocam, made the report, which identifies the top 100 businesses in the county. Between them they generated a combined turnover of £365m in the year, achieving a combined compound turnover growth of 16 percent in the process. The EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation) of these companies has increased by 21 percent over the year, showing that profits have not been sacrificed in the pursuit of expansion.
The 25 ones to watch: emerging companies in Cambridgeshire
- DB Broadcast Holdings Limited
- Barnack Estates UK Limited
- Alliance Asset Management Limited
- Fountain Foods Limited
- Scientific Digital Imaging PLC
- KEW Investments Limited
- Z-Tech Control Systems Limited
- Schoolblazer Limited
- Encocam Limited
- J Huggins And Son Limited
- Prior Scientific Instruments Limited
- M P J Enterprises Limited
- Millennium Holdings Limited
- Spearmark Holdings Limited
- Coastfields Leisure Limited
- Coulson Group Limited
- ASL Technology Holdings
- G. Webb Haulage Limited
- LH Holdings Limited
- Flocklynn Limited
- Pico Technology (Holdings) Limited
- Cisg Limited
- Hewitsons LLP
- Vintage Travel Limited
- S B Components (International) Limited
We are pleased that our continued growth and success has been recognised in this way. This gives confidence to our employees and demonstrates our growing presence in the industries we are part of.
We are pleased to announce our sponsorship of Oxford Brookes Racing for Formula Student 2018. The team will be using our aluminium honeycomb in the chassis of the racing car they are building, to take part in Formula Student. OBR18 will promote Corex Honeycomb and Herald Motor Company on their website and on their Formula Student racing car.
We share a passion for innovation. I think that’s why this union works. We’re confident about what the 2018 season will hold and we’re excited to be working with Corex Honeycomb, to make it all happen.
Joe Jones, Business Development
Oxford Brookes Racing has been around since 1999, it is the Oxford Brookes University entrance into the Formula Student competition, which challenges students to design and build a single seat racing car alongside a business concept and cost analysis.
Oxford Brookes Racing has since gone on to be known as one of the best UK Formula Student teams, claiming the “Top UK team” title 5 times.
Oxford Brookes Racing is unique as it allows any student from any year, course or background to join, the only requirements are a passion for Motorsport, and the commitment to the project. Achievements from the OBR17 season:
Formula Student UK: 3rd Auto X, 3rd Design, 14th overall out of 75 Formula Student Germany: 2nd Skid pad, Top UK Team Formula Student Hungary: 2nd Skid pad, 1st Cost and Manufacturing, 1st Business, 2nd Overall Statics and 2nd overall win, Top UK Team. Formula Student started in the USA in 1981 to test engineering students design capabilities along with their business acumen, arriving in the UK in 1998. Across the World, there are 663 teams competing in 16 competitions across 5 continents.
All aspects of the car are tested across a variety of races and the students have to show the cost breakdown of each element and present a ‘Dragon’s Den’ business pitch about their car. Some University teams keep the same vehicle and add enhancements and refinements, but others challenge themselves further by building their design from scratch every year. This helps develop their skills and knowledge and gives them an advantage over their competition.
We are thrilled to announce our success in the EEF Manufacturing Awards 2017, Encocam won Environmental Achievement South East Region and Regional Runner-Up for Business Growth. We will now go forward to the next round of Environmental Achievement, to compete on a national level.
The award recognises manufacturers and supply chain firms that have done the most to improve their overall environmental performance and enhance sustainability. We were up against stiff competition from a range of innovative businesses – small and large – from across the region. Our entry for the EEF Manufacturing Awards 2017 was selected by a panel of judges drawn from business leaders, industry experts and academics, who were impressed by our significant water reduction and efficiently managed waste disposal.With the regional title now secured, we will now go on to compete for the national title in London in January 2018.
This award is testament to our hard working and dedicated team, and we are delighted to have won. This puts us on the map as a modern and innovative company and goes some way to demonstrate the efforts made by manufacturers to boost sustainability and minimise the impact we have on the environment. We can’t wait to share this news with all our staff, customers and suppliers.Mike Ashmead, Managing Director
The EEF awards programme was founded in 2008 and has helped companies to raise their profile and celebrate the best in manufacturing businesses of all sizes and sectors in domestic and overseas markets. The awards are an opportunity to showcase company achievements, employees and their area of business.
Business has a responsibility towards the environment and should always be looking at ways to improve efficiency and limit any impact. Manufacturers are leading the way in this important drive, but it’s clear that some, such as Encocam stand out and deserve recognition for the inspiring way that they are setting out to reduce their environmental footprint. We wish them the best of luck for the national finals.Terry Scuoler CBE, CEO of EEF
We enter these awards for many reasons. The PR we receive help raise awareness of our business and our brands, impressing existing customers and attracting new ones. Winning a regional or national award is a positive for our employees, giving a sense of pride and greater confidence for future challenges.