Spotlight on Canford Portland
The name Canford Audio expectedly for most brings to mind the main operation based in Washington, Tyne and Wear. It therefore still comes as a surprise to some that for the past 16 years the group has manufactured all of its own metalwork products from an 11,000 square foot factory situated close to a cliff top in a former Naval base on the Isle of Portland in Dorset!
When the group purchased Swift Precision based at the site back in 1999 it was always intended that the acquisition would be a further expansion of the group commitment to the design and manufacture of its own product ranges. From the initial re-design of the now market leading Canford 3G MUSA connectors to the introduction of our extensive range of 19” termination panels and accessories we have from the start listened to our customers and delivered the products they wanted.
At a fairly early stage in development it became clear that service and quality was also going to be key to our success and that the most effective way to control this was to bring much of the process in house. With a high level of investment in the site over a number of years we now boast of a plant list which includes a full sheet metal workshop, three CNC vertical machining centres, a powder coating suite and extensive assembly facilities.
Though very much a part of the Canford family another significant decision was to make the site largely autonomous from the main operation in Washington which meant we could locally manage our own resourcing, stocking levels and planning. Effectively this created a focused specialist cell within the main organisation that was dedicated to satisfying the demand for both standard product and customised solutions. Direct customer contact, in the UK and internationally, was also critical and would allow us to build strong relationships and confidence in our capability.
Without any doubt the most important factor over the past 16 years has been the support of our dedicated staff on site. The majority of the team have been with us from the beginning which brings with it a significant depth of knowledge and experience relating to both products and customers. Coupled with this is the fact that they have witnessed how the business has grown and developed directly from our commitment to delivering quality product and consistently meeting even the tightest deadlines. The result is a real pride in what they have achieved to date which is reflected very much in their work, attitude and culture.
Taking into consideration all of the above it come as no surprise that we are now the preferred source for many of the major Broadcast/AV Systems Integrators both in the UK and globally when it comes to standard or customised metalwork solutions. We equally have a very strong presence with many smaller installers and end users. Our reputation is built not only around the capability to supply 8,000 fully assembled 19” panels to one customer in 6 weeks but also the belief that a single product required quickly for a small project is just as critical. Developing the local capability on Portland to accommodate both ends of this spectrum was the aim at the outset and as a team we are very proud to say we did it!
Looking to the future we are well placed to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing market and remain committed to working with our customers to develop solutions and product as demand arises.