Secret to success is to be Responsive

Nov 14 2007 by Peter McCusker, The Journal

LAST year’s Manufacturing Company of the Year award was won by the Responsive Engineering Group.

Responsive is a leading engineering services and subcontract manufacturing group based on the Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead.

Responsive has a long history of working on defence industry projects. Clients have included Westland, BAE Systems and many other first and second tier suppliers to the industry.

The Gateshead-based business has grown rapidly in recent years increasing sales by 50% between 2003/04 and 2005/06, and more growth is predicted. It is currently in the middle of a significant investment drive, and has ambitions to not only push its current £8.35m sales through the £10m barrier but lay the foundations for a more substantial longer-term growth. Besides Streamline, Responsive operates other businesses – Kingsway, Weldex and Pressex. These provide a range of precision engineering, welding, pressing and assembly services.

The business has recently invested half a million pounds in a new laser cutting machine for its Streamline division, and it says this is just part of a sustained £2.5m investment programme over two years.