Torque-Expo

Chesterfield-based BG Engineering, a specialist subcontractor for machined components, is celebrating being shortlisted in the prestigious Manufacturer MX Awards 2017 in the ‘Manufacturing Services’ category.

The independent judging panel recognised that BG Engineering is a manufacturing business gearing up to achieve strategic growth through expanding its services to the aerospace market. The company is currently working towards securing the necessary accreditation (AS9100:2015) to become an approved aerospace supplier. BG Engineering will also offer its services to OEMs in very specialised areas.

BG Engineering will have to wait until 16 November to find out if it has won at the ceremony at the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool.

Marie Cooper, Director of BG Engineering, which operates in the oil & gas, food and beverage, steam, mechanical seals, highways and defence industries, said: “We’re excited to be shortlisted in this prestigious award against such strong competition from across the UK. This is testament to the skills and expertise of our team in delivering high quality engineering solutions to meet quite complex and challenging customer requirements.  We are looking forward to the final in November.”

Nick Hussey, Managing Director of Hennik Group which organises the Manufacturer MX Awards, said: “The Manufacturer MX Awards are without doubt the toughest and most rigorous in the UK so it is without doubt an incredible achievement to have been shortlisted.”

Low staff turnover levels

BG Engineering demonstrated to judges how it has achieved a much lower than industry average staff turnover level, through investing in its people.  Over the years its staff have received in-depth training and have built up a wealth of knowledge of customers’ products and this means they can proactively identify where they can add value in the best interests of the customer.

The training and mentoring that BG Engineering provides is continuous and is both practical and classroom-based. The company also has a robust Apprenticeship programme, as part of investing in its future workforce.

Marie Cooper added: “There has been a decline in skilled machinists in precision engineering for the past decade or so, which is really starting to have an impact on the skill sets required. We’re addressing this by transferring the expertise of our more experienced staff to the new generation of machinists through in-house mentoring that is helping to nurture our own home-grown engineers of the future.  We’re also investing in Apprentices and in multiskilling training for our operatives to ensure even greater productivity and flexibility within our business.”

Founded in 1988, BG Engineering is a specialist manufacturer of machined components, with customers in the UK and Europe. The company manufactures parts mainly for the gas valve, food and beverage, high pressure cylinders and utility industries.

Marie Cooper and Chris Brown of Cooper Brown Enterprises completed a strategic investment in BG Engineering in April 2017. The other shareholders include Antony Holmes, Managing Director and Shane Greveson, Business Development Director. Cooper and Brown were previously part of the management team who successfully built President Engineering Group Ltd in Sheffield, before its sale to global motion technology company Parker Hannifin in 2015.