So…. the end of 2021 quickly approaches. Where has the year gone? And did 2021 deliver the positivity we were all hoping for at the end of 2020? With many restrictions still in place and new variants of Covid causing havoc, how do we look back at the past year?
2021 saw us become a teenager as we entered our 13th year in business. Thirteen is unlucky for some, however, Pentaxia has been fortunate to see our order book and client base grow. This has meant we have been able to continue to invest in our people and facilities to ensure we are well placed to survive this adolescent stage of our business.
We are constantly looking for ways to improve our business efficiencies and this year saw us refine our processes and procedures as part of a programme of continuous improvement. Extensive work has also been undertaken by our internal IT department, with the successful launch of our “eSharp” planning software. This will be invaluable, enabling Pentaxia to scale its planning capabilities and maintain the aggressive growth challenges we’ve set ourselves.
Our Quality Assurance team have worked tirelessly to ensure Pentaxia consistently retains its valued certifications, in October we successfully completed our AS9100 audit (now held for eight years), with no major non-conformities. The QA team have also been working on another sector certification, we hope to make this significant announcement very shortly, currently, it remains in stealth mode!
Whilst Covid has prevented many usual activities – sadly there was no pancake race this year – we have been able to come together to raise some funds for charity and this year the Macmillan Bake Sale was held successfully as well as our participation in fundraising for Children in Need and Save the Children via the Christmas Jumper Day.
After a considerable time of closure due to the pandemic, we were able to re-open our ‘socially distanced’ canteen facility and the team can now enjoy hot food at breakfast & lunch. It is these small changes that bring some normality back in these uncertain times. Our staff and visiting customers have been delighted with this re-opening, with customers always served on a complimentary basis, we do a cracking full-English breakfast (or healthier options if preferred….!)
Not only have we welcomed new customers this year, 2021 also saw us renew our supply contract with Martin-Baker Aircraft Ltd who are one of our long-term clients. We are incredibly proud to work with Martin-Baker on a long-term basis, a true jewel in the British Engineering crown. Providing lightweight, quality components that are destined for use across the latest generation of fast-jet aircraft ejection seats is a very rewarding project to be involved in and it is a pleasure to continue this working relationship long into the future.
We were also excited to see our products at the Olympics this year and smashing World Records at various other cycling events. The Danish Team took to the cycling track in Tokyo sporting their Pentaxia base bars and secured silver medals in the Team Pursuit. This achievement was followed later in the year by Ashton Lambie riding a 4km pursuit in under 4 minutes and Dan Bigham breaking the British Hour Record covering 54.723km. Working with local companies HUUB And Wattshop to develop the base bars has been a great project to work on and it has been fabulous to see the achievements of these athletes and know we have contributed albeit in a small way.
2021 also saw our television debut as the company was featured on the ‘How to Build…. Briggs Automotive Company Mono”. The programme showcased how the BAC Mono R is built from scratch and it was great to have the film crew on-site and see the finished edit which truly represented our facilities and manufacturing capabilities.
So, all in all, there have been many positives in what has been a challenging year. We continue to grow our workforce and have seen several new recruits join the team in recent weeks. This will continue well into the new year, our team is over 150 strong currently. Our dedicated team have worked hard throughout the past 12 months and it is their focus and dedication that enables us to deliver the quality products that the company is known for.
Where many sectors have suffered greatly during the pandemic, we are in the fortunate position of ending the year on a high, notably due to our sector diversification strategy. We have a strong order book going into 2022 and with several major multi-year programmes commencing, it’s going to be an exciting future. Combined with our continual investment strategy, we’re eagerly awaiting the delivery of several new pieces of high-value equipment, commencing mid-January. Throughout, we remain razor-focused to deliver world-class lightweight tooling and component solutions to our wide-ranging, international network of valued customers.
Be The Best You Can Today, Be Better Tomorrow
We wish all of our customers and suppliers a very Merry Christmas, a Prosperous New Year and to the Pentaxia team – an enormous thank you for all your hard work and continued commitment.
