Evolution not Revolution!

Nov 25, 2022

The Consistent Steps Of Pre-Met’s Success

With a legacy of over one hundred years, if revolution were the answer, a one-off event in the annals of Pre-met's history would stand out like a beacon. If only life

were that simple …

Kaizen: Small Steps And Often

If not realised before the era of Deming and continuous improvement, long-term successful businesses know that Kaizen (i.e. small steps, often) is the solution to

survival, growth and improvements in all aspects of business performance. For those not familiar with Kaizen, it is a Japanese concept which refers to business activities that continuously develop all functions of the organisation and everyone from CEO to frontline staff are involved. Kaizen also relates to processes like logistics, purchasing etc within the supply chain.

Recession On The Horizon

Over the global landscape a cloud, in the shape of the threat of recession, currently hovers. A large proportion of the business community looks on with dread, whilst

those for whom Kaizen is a reality, tighten their belts, take yet another look to ensure they are doing the basics well, and continue to make small, wise decisions as part of daily operations.

Showing Our Value In Hard Times

Only when customers and suppliers of these organisations look back, after such challenging periods, do they realise the value in having customers and suppliers such as Pre-met, realising these are part of the core that keeps them strong.

The Pre-Met Formula For Success

Reminding ourselves of what we need to continue to do well is never pointless.

These are the key areas for Pre-Met:

People - training, development, remuneration, recognition are all integral to maintaining a highly trained and motivated team.

Communication - information, recognition, acknowledgment, looking in the mirror. Communication is at the heart of any successful enterprise.

Plant & Machinery - upgrades and maintenance are a constant factor in our mission to deliver the best quality services.

Customers / Suppliers - regular contact, even if it's challenging, instils trust and confidence in our clients and suppliers. This is one of core ingredients to stay

successful, especially in economic times like the current era.

Performance - processes, change management and tools are essential components of our management of performance.

Information & systems - upgrades, development, tools, single base of data for all. MIS is vital for every well-run company.

Financial strength - forecasts, updates, KPI's, challenging paradigms,

Governance - 360' transparency and accountability. These factors ensure that Pre-Met is financially robust and resilient in the marketplace.

That’s all for 2022. Wishing you a happy festive season and a prosperous 2023!

Stay tuned for more insight into the Pre-met story as we look to pave the way for others to hopefully achieve a double century.

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A CEO’S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

06 Dec, 2023

The Power of Teamwork At Pre-Met During Global Economic Downturn To kick off the festive season, I have put together the 12 days of Christmas from the Pre-Met CEO’s point of view. Obviously lighthearted but beneath the humour belies a team spirit that has helped us thrive during difficult economic times. In the face of economic downturns, engineering companies face unique challenges that require innovative solutions. One of the key factors that can make a significant difference during these tough times is effective teamwork. In this final blog for 2023, we examine why teamwork is the solution and explore the Kaizen philosophy.

WHY DO BUSINESSES FAIL?

07 Nov, 2023

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The 360' Flexibility Solution For Businesses in Challenging Times

01 Sep, 2023

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How Nimble Is Your Business?

11 May, 2023

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Heads and Hearts in a Challenging Economic Environment

01 Mar, 2023

Investment in staff training, development, and support in economic downturn In the current economic environment of uncertainty we look at how Pre-Met is preparing for the unknown by investing in supporting and training staff. Finding a balance between following reason with data driven decisions versus trusting your instincts to ensure the long-term growth of the company is essential. In this article we explore leadership in a period of economic downturn and the importance of investment in staff.

Doing The Basics Well, Consistently!

04 Oct, 2022

The Keys To Pre-Met’s Success During Tough Times It is not always easy to identify what makes your company successful. However, one of the characteristics of defining what a company does best often has to be pointed out by a third party. This is because in the optimum cases, it is normally part of the DNA of the organisation. Therefore, an objective third party view can give valuable insights into the how and why of your success. 2019 - A Time For Much Needed Change At the end of 2019 it was obvious to the new management team what historically wasn't working well. However, almost 3 years on, we need to step back to reflect and take ourselves out of the business to refresh our minds about what has been achieved in a period of global, national and local change. In that time period, there were such upheavals that have been rarely experienced to this level before, certainly not in most peoples' lifetimes anyway.

Survival, Success and Beyond!

12 Aug, 2022

The key lessons learned during a period of global crisis It’s useful to periodically reflect on business decisions from time. This article summarises the valuable lessons we learned at Pre-met, as owners and as a business, over the last 2 years. Although very difficult and demanding from time to time, you will hopefully see how we faced the challenges and overcame them with a more robust business with our whole team more valued and engaged than when we started this journey. Three Core Management Issues Looking back to January 2020, Pre-Met was facing three core issues. Imagine the scenario as a business owner where: You have a decision to take on a substantial volume of new business which didn’t work out quite as expected. You find out, during the integration, two executives made a personal decision to retire. You were just getting your head around these first two points when a major global pandemic hit with an anticipated 40% drop in sales. These were significant challenges facing Pre-met. It took great tenacity and level-headed management to steer through this period, and come out the other side stronger then when we went in.

Pre-met 103 Not Out!

05 Jul, 2022

Navigating a Time of World Crisis and Managing the Symptoms Any world class cricket batsmen will tell you that getting close to a century is quite dangerous as attention to detail may lapse in the light of being so close to a 100. They might also tell you that is time to step up the ante, ensure you do the basics better than ever, and make sure you have your ‘A game’ with you. This was exactly the position Pre-met found itself in towards the end of 2019, 100 years on since the inception of Lewis Springs Products, its merged partner since 2005. Frankly, had the new management team have taken its eye of the ball 3 years ago, it is extremely likely that Pre-met would no longer exist.

Precision Metal Pressing and Stamping Firm Demonstrates Great Team Strength During World Crisis

15 Jun, 2022

How A UK Engineering Firm Expanded During Difficult Times As any business will tell you, the last 2 years have been a tremendous challenge in the UK and abroad. We reflect on what the world has been through during this time and how Pre-Met Ltd rode the waves achieving remarkable growth.