The Manufacturing Agenda
Automation, digital and technology execution Sustainability, ESG and long-term resilience
SST’s digital focus is centred on improving information quality and decision making. Dyer Engineering set out more than a decade ago to understand profitability at a part level but only achieved full visibility in 2021, after reconfiguring and fully utilising its existing ERP and Microsoft tools. This capability to interrogate each part’s history, cost, price and margin transformed operational decision making and enabled a step-change in profitability. The business now uses a suite of Power BI and SharePoint dashboards to provide real-time visibility of performance, quality and safety across the shop floor. Richard sees this data-led approach as a meaningful advantage for an SME in metal fabrication and a capability that can be transferred into future acquisitions, many of which have underused ERP systems and limited ability to convert data into actionable insight. On physical automation, SST is further back but moving. Machining has long been automated; more recently the group has introduced robot welding and cobot welding (welding carried out using robots designed to work safely alongside a human operator). Given Dyer’s product profile mix, not all work lends itself to robotics. Richard sees a future where robot welding handles repeatable, high- volume welds while highly skilled welders focus on complex, specialist structures. “With a long-term, high-quality contract behind us, we could commit to full automation: banks of robot and cobot welders, an automated paint line - all under one roof in a consolidated site. Without that level of certainty, it becomes almost impossible to secure the kind of long-term funding needed for innovation at scale.”
ESG requirements from customers have clearly increased, SST’s work to date has put it in a position where ESG is not a barrier in major tenders. The group has created its own ESG framework aligned to UN Sustainable Development Goals, measures its carbon footprint and has initiatives underway to reduce it. “At its core, ESG is about sustainability. If you look after your people, manage your environmental impact and run a resilient business model, longevity is the true benchmark.” The year ahead Richard expects growth to dominate board discussions over the next year. The group sees strong opportunities in its markets, but progress depends on access to the right facilities and the funding to support them. Both organic expansion and further acquisitions remain central to the plan, bringing the balance between equity and debt back into focus. The challenge is securing long-term capital that supports sustainable development rather than short-term financial pressures. “People will always be the constant. For us, our name SST - Smarter, Stronger, Together - is more than a name. It’s the way we want to run the business: put people first, stay financially responsible and build a culture where people enjoy coming to work and take pride in what they deliver.” In summary, SST Group sits squarely inside the Manufacturing Agenda: navigating buoyant but geopolitically driven demand, managing structural funding and skills gaps, using digital to sharpen performance, and looking for ways to scale responsibly while remaining rooted in the North East.
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