Made in Yorkshire member OE Electric’s had an electrifying event at their facility in Wakefield this week. Members gathered to network, learn more about OE Electrics and their best practices as well as see first hand the company’s capabilities with a tour around the facility.
The best practice morning began at 8 am where members gathered in the company reception to network and grab refreshments. Here, guests were welcomed to try out OE Electrics products with hi-tech charging ports and funky electrical outputs.
Next was the presentation by Managing Director David Masters, CEO of the Made in Group Jason Pitt introduced the presentation to the Made in Yorkshire members. Jason spoke about the Made exhibitions and positivity going forward regardless of the current climate. He also spoke about localisation and how this is more important now than it has ever been.
David’s presentation particularly focused on OE Electrics vision of making £100 million by 2025, and how they hope to achieve this going forward. The presentation began with the background of the company, established in 1986, OE Electrics originally began distributing a German product with three sockets in. Today, they manufacture a range of products suited to their customer's needs. Talking about the purpose of the facility, David said:
“We built this to show off our products and the full range that we do. Everywhere that you walk around, you will see our products. We did this so that we can show customers that we fit every purpose.”
OE Electric’s end users consist of big-name brands such as Nike, eBay, Amazon, DHL and Costa Coffee. Sharing best practice with like-minded people from the manufacturing sector David said:
“As I imagine you are all growing companies, I advise you to take pictures and keep records of your growth. This is to look back on and see where you have come from and understand the story that you can tell to people. I think being part of Made in Yorkshire is about sharing your story and demonstrating how you have grown”
To achieve the aim of making £100 million by 2025, David spoke about the company's plans to go global. With a sister company in Australia and another OE Electrics branch in Germany, they have now expanded into North America, to reach a wider market. However regardless of this, David hopes to keep the family-like atmosphere within the business, he said:
“Without our team, there would be no OE Electrics.”
After the presentation, members were welcomed to attend a tour of the premises, where they had insight into everything from the offices, Research and Development, Design and Manufacturing.
The first stop on the tour was the offices, where OE Electrics staff were positioned to work in an efficient and effective way. The offices also included a range of the companies products, proving that OE Electrics is capable of fitting out an office with highly efficient electrical devices.
Later on into the tour, members were able to see where the products are manufactured and the different departments this includes. This consisted of engineering, welding and engraving, sub assembling, moulding and socket automated assembly.
In the design section, members learned the companies best practice when it comes to marketing their products. This included the advertisements showing how their products would benefit customers, and doing this by telling a story in the images. The OE Electrics team shared that their newsletters focus on people rather than the products, which has proven to have a higher click rate.
The event ended with further networking in the reception. Talking about what he hopes members took away from the event, David said:
“I’d like to think they feed off what we do and how we do it. I try to educate them on what we are good at and what we aren't so good at, but also that we get an opportunity to look at their businesses and where we could improve ours.”
OE Electrics are experts in designing and manufacturing power, data distribution and charging solutions. They believe that innovation is essential to the success of every new design and solution; it’s at the heart of everything they do, from the products they design to the systems they use every day.