5th birthday delivers a £1m present for Millennium » Communities » 24dash.com

One of manufacturings youngest Managing Directors has received the perfect 5th birthday present for her company after smashing the £1m sales barrier for the first time in its history.

Anna Stevensons Millennium Pressed Metal has shrugged off the industry slowdown and credit crunch to post an impressive end of year performance that has seen the business secure new contracts in the automotive, medical and construction products markets.

The firm, which is based in two production units at Castle Mill Works in Dudley, has also embarked on a new lean manufacturing drive that has resulted in a host of efficiency gains and the start of its first supply chain development programme.

"It only seems ten minutes ago since we were starting out in a small factory in Tipton and were serving just a couple of clients," explained Anna, who launched the venture after completing an A-Level feasibility study.

"Just five years on and we have smashed the £1m turnover barrier, employ 33 people and supply parts that are used in Bentley, HD televisions, fire engines and advanced medical devices."

She continued: "This is just the start the start however, and with the help of Business Link in the West Midlands and the Manufacturing Advisory Service-West midlands, we are now looking at ways in which we can transfer our core experience into new areas.

"This could include the MoD, healthcare, marine and electronics - all markets that are experiencing strong growth."

Over £200k has been invested into new machinery that has allowed Millennium to build on its short lead-time and rapid turnaround services.

Funding has not been purely reserved for capital equipment, with Business Improvement and Health and Safety training delivered to over 20 staff and, through the Trojan MRP system, quality and work tracking has been boosted throughout the two sites.

Andrew Clarke, Finance Director, picked up the story: "The future is in added value manufacturing and we are increasingly looking at ways of getting involved earlier in the process with our customers so that we influence the design, tooling and even assembly.

"Lean production, six sigma and 5Cs are big steps forward and we are currently working with Accelerate to host a supply chain improvement programme involving seven of our closest customers and supplier.

"We are one of the smallest organisations to be at the centre of a SCIP and this shows the importance of looking to the future and not resting on your laurels."

Another birthday present for the young MD arrived last month, with the Institute of Sheet Metal Engineering (ISME) inviting Anna to sit on its board one of only a select number of women to hold this position.

It's not the first time the former Edgecliffe High School student has done her bit for the fairer sex, with 70% of Millenniums workforce made up of women.

"I suppose some people find it unusual at first, but to be honest most of our long-term customers dont even notice it, as the service we provide is better than anything else in the sector," concluded Anna.

"At the end of the day the client just wants good quality, cost and delivery. We score highly in all these areas and this is thanks to the skill, experience and commitment of our staff, not the fact they are male or female."