AI Issue 8 2017

102 Acquisition International - 2017 Excellence Awards Barnbook Systems are a leading designer, developer and manufacturer of a wide variety of electrical, electronic and computer devices and systems. We invited Andrew Barnett to tell us more about the firm. arnbrook was founded in 1979 driven by a belief that encouraging and connecting the right people will deliver more than just products. The company supplies aerospace, defence, maritime, railway and commercial industries globally. It also is a prime contractor and sub-contractor to the UK MOD, overseas governments and major companies. The firm’s products include relays, flight actuators, circuit breakers, pressure transducers, fire suppression actuators, power controllers, engine control units and solenoids. Setting out its own values, its mottos are ‘setting higher standards’ and ‘supplying worldwide – safety is critical.’ Andrew outlines the firm’s overall mission and what steps it takes in order to achieve this. “Part of our business is ‘Legacy support’, which whilst commercial viable, can often dampen or restricts creativity or innovation. Our staff age is from 18 to 85 years, so creativity and innovation is not only our route to future markets but also a key motivator of all our staff.” Experience is something which sets the company apart from its fellow competitors, marking them out as the best possible option for current and potential clients. Andrew is keen to point out how valuable this is for the firm, along with explaining how the diverse working environment creates the right working atmosphere. “We have a very unusual, diverse working environment which we feel creates the right atmosphere to enthuse people. A large proportion of our staff have been with us for over 30 years.” The industry is constantly changing, as Andrew explains, whilst noting that the size of the company has helped it adapt to these new challenges without taking their focus off the firm’s main mission. Company: Barnbrook Systems Limited Contact: Andrew Barnett Address: andrewbarnett@ barnbrook.co.uk Address: 25 Fareham Park Rd, Fareham, Hampshire, PO15 6LD, UK Phone: 01329 847722 Best for Transport Component Manufacturing B GE170032 “There are many parts of our industry which have gone through massive change, but our lean size and approach has helped us weather many business storms. Our challenges now are different; political, geographical and customer demands are changing rapidly and not always in the same direction. Delivering the right products, the right quality and the right price will continue to help, but we must remain agile enough to handle whatever uncertainty delivers.” In order to adapt to the new challenges mentioned and stay ahead of emerging new developments, Andrew discusses the two product development streams, integral in a regulated market. A good customer relationship is vital in order for the company to meet its client’s requirements. “We have two product development streams, which is important in our very regulated and compliant market space. One stream will go through the normal requirement specification, design, development through to compliant end product. This adds time to the whole product development cycle. Our other stream is about Minimum Viable Product, this route is much quicker to market but does need the full engagement of the customer.” Ensuring that the company is always changing for the better and keeping up with changes in the industry, the staff have to be on alert and maintain good customer and client relationships. In order for this to happen, the staff must be well equipped to provide the best possible service, Andrew tells us. “Fundamentally, I am keen to ensure that we engage with education both internally and more importantly externally. As such, I have embarked on a program of connecting with secondary schools, colleges and universities to ensure that the young engineer or business person of the future has real world exposure to business. We drive this though our work experience, youth training and graduate training programmes. Overall, as a company we are not about short-term thinking.” Looking ahead, the company has projects to look forward to, building on the stable base of their ongoing success. Barnbrook Systems Limited stands out from other competitors in the industry due to their exceptional customer service and “With the creative minds drawing on their experience, the future looks very bright indeed for the company.”