2 minute read
business matters
Connecting business for over 50 years
South coast based cable and wire specialists, K Lacey Ltd, have chosen 2022 to celebrate over 50 years in business.
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Pictured left to right: Ros Andrews, Managing Director & Stacey Robbins, Director & Sales Manager
Ros Andrews
Managing Director K Lacey (E&D) Ltd
The company was actually founded in 1971 by husband and wife team Keith and Kathleen Lacey, supplying high quality cable and wire to the Aerospace and Defence sector.
However, as the current Managing Director, Ros Andrews, explains, “it didn’t seem right to celebrate during the pandemic, so we delayed it until restrictions were lifted.”
Ros, who has been the MD since 2011, added “strangely enough delaying our celebrations until 2022, has also been useful, as we can celebrate the success of some other changes too.”
For much of the last 50 years, K Lacey has focused upon supplying products, backed by industry leading levels of product knowledge and customer service.
Ros added “over the years, we have built a network of excellent suppliers, giving us access to a wide range of fully traceable cable and wire products, many direct from stock, for delivery anywhere in the world.”
However, as reported by Business Edge in 2019, K Lacey has continued to evolve along with its customers.
Extended Production Facility
In response to a 33% growth in demand for cable and wire assembly services, the business has invested further in their existing facility during 2021. Capable of handling both one-off projects such as prototype wiring assemblies, through to mid-volume production, the team work to AS9100 and IPC/WHMA-A-620 Aerospace standards.
“Customers need increasing flexibility, whether that’s to outsource excess workload from their own production facilities, or to use our facility for smaller production runs and integrating with forward scheduling programs such as KANBAN and JIT,” suggests Ros.
K Lacey offers a full-service solution, managing the entire process from component supply, through to inventory management, assembly, delivery and high voltage testing using an MK Test Machine.
The new assembly facility continues to expand, attracting clients from across the UK, and supporting the recruitment of an additional 4 members of staff.
Despite the growth in demand, Ros suggests that “although our business has grown significantly over the years, customer service and product knowledge are still hugely important to us. This is the K Lacey difference.”
High Performance
Ros and her team have been supplying fully traceable high performance cables to the Aerospace industry for over 50 years. Working to AS9100 and AS9120 standards, they are approved suppliers to some of the UK’s largest companies.
Key Products & Custom Cable
K Lacey also offers a wide range of PTFE, COAX, TC12, PVC, Sleeving and Accessories from stock, with clients from around the world benefiting from same day despatch, next day delivery and international shipping.
Building on the theme of flexibility the team also offer custom cable options, responding to flammability, temperature, voltage and environmental considerations for bespoke applications.
Future Thinking
As for the future, Ros is very optimistic “we’re seeing a lot of interest in reshoring supply and manufacture to the UK, so we’re delighted to be part of Made in Britain. There are also some exciting opportunities in sectors such as Renewables, Lighting and Power and Control. We’ve also just completed the national SC21 competitiveness and growth programme, helping to develop our longer term strategy so we can look forward to the next 50 years.”
K Lacey are currently recruiting for Sales and Production Operative positions to help with their current expansion.
