Quality approach benchmarks WKW Precision for Made in Yorkshire

Benchmarking your performance against the current industry standards is one of the best ways of guaranteeing quality - and possibly stealing a march on the competition.

However, it’s not always easy, with a lot of hard work from a core of dedicated workers.

But if you want to display a positive mental attitude both to competitors and customers then it can be worth all the hard work.

WKW Precision Engineering is one of those prepared to do what it takes - and its gritty approach serves as an example to the whole of the Made in Yorkshire network.

Realising the opportunities that could open up in the nuclear sector with the right credentials, Halifax-based WKW opted to push for Fit4 Nuclear accreditation and after 16 months of preparations, audits and quality checks, the company succeeded in its goal.

Not content with this, the company has also updated its ISO2001:2015 Accreditation.

Brian Kermode, responsible for the firm’s business development and marketing, said: “Even though we now have F4N accreditation, the action plan is ongoing that will take the company to new markets in the Nuclear industry and as a result, we now have a clear vision for the future and a strategy that will deliver the improvements and performance required to continue as one of Yorkshire’s finest and the UK’s leading precision engineering company.”

He said the qualifications helped ensure the customer had the confidence to work with WKW because it could guarantee results.

WKW is now exporting to countries such as the United States, Norway, Poland, India, Nigeria, Singapore and most recently, Brazil.

“The company has a firm commitment to continuous improvement and will continue to plan for the future,” said Brian.

The advantages of having such a company as part of the MIY network means that other members have the benefit of its experience, should they want to embark along the same road.

The beauty is that WKW recognises the positive impact it can have on the network - and it is a role it is happy to adopt.

“We are delighted to be a part of the Made in Yorkshire network. For us, the aim of getting involved was to highlight the collaborative nature of the manufacturing community in Yorkshire,” said Brian.

“We have been getting good referrals and what we have found is that while a company within the network might not have need of us directly, they might know someone else who does.

“Likewise, a couple of members got in touch with me to ask what we had done about GDPR and I was happy to do that - as I would be on other matters like what we had to do regarding our latest accreditation.

“It’s about each company helping the others so they all get stronger.”