Logic of efficiency helping firm to thrive

Despite the difficult economic climate, the company has grown significantly over the last three years, allowing it to increase from around eight staff to a workforce of 20.

Director Mike Hodge said, since it was established in 1997, Cimlogic’s turnover has risen from £50,000 to £1.4m – and he expects that figure to double in the next three years.

“Most of that growth has been attributed to some of the technology we are involved with,” he said.

“We’re partners with a company in the USA that manufactures a software produce that measures efficiency.

“During a recession, people are looking at ways of squeezing more out of their equipment. The tool that we use expresses the kind of waste you don’t normally look at.”

That waste can be anything from leaving lights on for too long to a machine which requires a minor repair, such as tightening a screw, several times a day. Although on their own, these things might be minor, when they are added up they can result in significant time, money or manpower being wasted.

Mr Hodge said the demand for systems which would help to make efficiencies had never been higher, as companies sought to reduce their costs without affecting the quality of their work.

“British manufacturing is under pressure,” he said.

“I believe that Britain does have a lot more to offer and we can become more efficient. It’s like an education. In the US, they are a little more mature and used to this kind of thing.

“In the UK, it’s a little bit new. People might already log things in some way, or they might not do anything at all, but Britain is starting to wake up.

“There might be big international companies with headquarters in the US which are bringing those approaches over here.

“It’s that desire of companies to want to improve and allowing us to show them how they can. If a factory can’t produce as much as they need, the knee-jerk reaction might be to built another factory, but that might take six to 12 months, whereas if you tried to make your existing plant 10 per cent more efficient, it might only take a month to do that and that takes the pressure off.”

Another string to Cimlogic’s bow, according to Mr Hodge, is the ability to adapt quickly and produce what their clients want.

“Manufacturing has become more dependent on technology,” he said.

“There would have been a lot of manual processes before and now companies have become used to using computers.

“People want more from their machinery, they want the same machine to do different things at the same time without having to go and have that set up, which puts the onus on us to make the technology available.”

Similarly, if a company wants to produce something which needs to be on the market immediately and for a short time, such as something relating to a hit film, it needs the technology to be available quickly enough to have its product on the shelves before the trend moves on. Mr Hodge believes keeping up with the latest developments is vital.

“We’ve got quite special people working for us,” he said. “It’s an interesting crowd, because the average age is about 27. It’s important to get the mix of experience right.”

That adaptability and the many possible applications of its work has seen Cimlogic working with some of the world’s biggest brands, including Wrigley’s chewing gum and Royal Mail.

“In the Bristol sorting office they set off on a programme to improve efficiency and we developed technology to improve the efficiency of their sorting machines. That was quite different to manufacturing,” said Mr Hodge.

“But basically, where there’s machinery, people and experiences, there’s an opportunity, because they are all consuming energy, man power and raw materials.”

In the 15 years since he founded the company, Mr Hodge said a lot of the focus has been on perfecting what it offers and making the business a success. But, despite the growth he has achieved, he knows there’s still plenty more to do.

“I’ve just embarked on the Goldman Sachs small businesses programme,” he said.

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