Progressive Advanced Materials was established in 2014 to supply complex polyurethane and epoxy patterns, structural foams and carbon fibre inserts.
Increased customer demand and organic growth is reflected in this latest £1.8M investment, a 10,000sq ft state-of-the-art facility opening November 2021. The new facility houses two autoclaves, a Blackman &
White Gensis V kit-cutting machine, walk-in freezer for material storage and a spray-booth for finishing. The company can now supply fully-finished carbon components; lightweight, high-performance materials, taking it one step closer to offering a full turn-key solution for clients in the Motorsport, Aerospace, Defence, Medical and Renewable Energy sectors.
Dan Smith has been appointed as Operations Director to deliver the high levels of quality and service expected from Progressive Advanced Materials. With over 20 years’ worth of composites knowledge, and
skills across multiple industry sectors, Dan is familiar with the existing customer base and is currently recruiting a team of experienced composite engineers to deliver on the demanding expectations that
come from its key client sectors.
Dan says: “Feedback from our existing customers on the vision and capability has been extremely positive so far. With a class leading facility we are attracting staff that will be valued as an asset to the business and be involved with its success”
Rob West, Managing Director, added: “A strong customer focus and a commitment to deliver on time are fundamental within Progressive Advanced Materials, and these attributes will be reflected by the new facility and team. The Advanced Materials division is already a Tier-One composite and pattern machining supplier for the Aerospace, Defence, Medical and Renewable Energy sectors, as well as being the first choice for many F1 teams when it comes to patterns and inserts. Moving into composite manufacture was always going to be a natural progression.”
As is part of the philosophy at Progressive Technology, bringing more of the supply chain processes within the Group provides greater control, reliability and reactivity to customer demands – something which is critical to all of its key client sectors. Progressive Advanced Materials aim to offer a full service from conceptual design to finished components and or bonded assemblies, leveraging all processes within the
Progressive Technology Group.
From bonded assemblies, patterns or mould tools, trimmed components with or without foam inclusions or inserts made from titanium, stainless steel, aluminium and other performance metals that can be supplied from either the company’s extensive CNC Machining division or the Additive Manufacturing division, Progressive Technology can provide a single source for customers wanting to avoid complex supply chain procurement.
The business says it has many talented individuals working on business improvement activities. Spanning across a diverse range of business processes including production engineering, quality management and systems infrastructure, which the company feels will provide the competitive edge as it moves forward.
A hugely successful part of the Progressive Technology Group is the on-site Apprentice Academy. With the experience and guidance of two full-time trainers, Progressive Technology develop the next generation of engineers, feeding directly into the business. Exposure to multiple technologies at its Newbury facility provides a solid foundation for 12 individuals before becoming full-time employees of the business,
specialising in machining, programming or inspection.
Steve Shadwell, Operations Manager says: “Changes driven by Brexit and the pandemic reinforce how important this safeguarding step for recruitment will be in the future”.
Progressive Advanced Machining has also seen expansion over the past six months, as strong relationships with key customers provide the confidence to move into new sectors and add new services.
Steve continued: “We are constantly updating equipment to the latest technology and having room for growth provides a platform for improvement”.
The business is investing £1.8M on equipment, most notably taking its fleet of multi-axis machining centres to 40 high-end systems, and investing £0.5M on cylindrical grinding equipment, a service not previously offered. The business has room to expand in the future, investing £0.8M on a 10,000sq ft facility to support its commitment to class-leading services for Aerospace and Defence customers.
Progressive Additive Manufacturing has seen some exciting new projects with key Aerospace customers over the past 6 months.
Jon Vickers, Operations Manager, said, “This has given us the opportunity to expand our supply chain, engage in new relationships with strategic partners and manufacture some large-scale components not previously possible”.
Website: www.progressive-technology.co.uk