A year to be proud of – MNB team take the business to new heights in 2020

In many ways 2020 has been no different to any other year. It has presented its challenges, but we have met every challenge head on to ensure we keep delivering the very best engineering solutions.

MNB started the year in great shape on the back of a successful business strategy, which puts the needs of our customers at the heart of our operation. Over the last 12 months, our workforce has demonstrated its determination to continue driving the business forward in a very difficult climate. We have managed to keep our factory open and provide a safe and supportive environment for our staff. Not only have we succeeded in servicing existing orders, MNB has also played its part in combating Covid-19 through the Ventilator Challenge and gained national recognition for our outstanding growth. It really has been a year to be proud of.

Earlier this month, MNB was ranked 30th in the Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100. The prestigious league table ranks Britain’s fastest growing private companies and thanks to our customer-focused business strategy, we earned our place by recording an incredible 76% increase in sales over the last 3 years. It is the first time we have made the ranking and the achievement is testament to everyone’s commitment to continuous business improvement.

MNB has been providing precision engineering solutions for more than four decades and the secret to our success is a willingness to adapt to the needs of our customers and keep one step ahead of the competition. We have experienced tough times before, survived market downturns, recessions, and financial crashes. We have demonstrated our resilience and remained focused on our common goals.

Time after time, it is our people who make this possible. They are prepared to go above and beyond to find solutions, meet deadlines and exceed expectations. That work-ethic came to the fore earlier this year when we took part in the Ventilator Challenge. We had the opportunity to apply our expertise to one of the country’s most high-profile engineering projects. We provided more than 500 parts for Dyson’s pre-production run and The Sunday Times praised companies like ours for helping the NHS meet the challenge of the pandemic.

Our work is winning greater recognition and the Sunday Times ranking comes in the wake of a raft of recent award wins, including being named the Small to Medium-sized Business of the Year at The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards and The Insider Made in the UK Awards for Manufacturer of the Year (Under £25 million turnover).

We know though that we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. We have to capitalise on the work we have done and keep finding new ways of improving our offer. This has previously been achieved by continuing to develop more and better in-house services including Non-Destructive Testing, shot peening and spark eroding. Our people are always learning new skills and adopting new technologies. We have spent £3.5m on new tooling and machinery over the last four years and that has helped provide a more comprehensive range of services to our customers.

Whatever 2021 has in store, we will remain open for business, we will continue investing in our capabilities and looking to the future. It is this attitude and approach, instilled in Luke and Elliot down the generations, that has helped us get where we are today and boost turnover from £3.3m in 2016/17 to more than £18m in the last financial year.

Reaching the next stage of growth will, as ever, depend on our people, our suppliers and partners, and of course our customers. We would like to thank each and every one of them for the commitment they have shown during 2020. We should all take time to reflect on just what we have achieved over the last 12 months and recognise the strength of working together through the good times and the bad.