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In 2008 the UK automotive manufacturing sector had a turnover of £52.5 billion, generated £26.6 billion of exports and produced around 1.45 million passenger vehicles and 203,000 commercial vehicles. The Financial Times has forecast that annual UK vehicle production will exceed its historic peak level (achieved in 1972) by 2017. We produce cable harnesses and looms, printed circuit boards and wire preparation, and all are tested to your specifications. Read our case study to find out more. Think we can help you? Contact us today for a chat.

January 2015 3TG is the term for the “conflict minerals” tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold, all of which can be found in electrical components and machinery. In 2012, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ruled that companies who file reports with SEC are required to publicly disclose their use of “conflict minerals” which originate from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or surrounding areas which are "necessary to the functionality or production" of products that they manufacture or contract to be manufactured. Although Tenkay Electronics are not subject to… Read more Are you subject to SEC rules and reporting? Do you need a manufacturing partner who responsibly sources “conflict minerals” and conducts thorough supply chain audits? We can help. Call us on 01903 855 464.   Tenkay is expanding We have vacancies on our Wiring shop floors and PCB shop floor, to join the Tenkay team. If you would like to join us, or if you know someone who would, give us a call on 01903 855464 to find out more, or forward your CV to recruitment@tenkay.co.uk to apply. Suitable candidates must have proven experience and able to pass our trade test as well as be able to efficiently manufacture and assemble to controlled documentation.

Offshoring, Nearshoring, Reshoring? Many companies are beginning to realise that today’s supply chain demands mean that offshoring production isn’t as great as it once was. Originally moved to countries such as China, India and the Philippines to reduce costs, businesses are now seeing their cost savings narrow, due in part to escalating labour costs, as well as environmental and political risks. Together with the often hidden costs of shipping, holding greater stock levels because of increased lead times and stock in transit, to name a few, questions not what you are gaining from being so far removed from the production process but what you are losing. This presents the opportunity to relocate. As more and more businesses turn their attention to manufacturing quality and control, and with greater automation reducing the reliance on ‘cheap’ labour, the focus is shifting towards reshoring and nearshoring. As the names suggest, reshoring brings manufacturing back to the UK (or the country of origin) and nearshoring relocates the manufacturing to a closer geographical location. The key advantages of reshoring or nearshoring are: Reduced lead times Lower freight costs Improved customer service  and communication – eliminating the time zone and language barriers speeds up issue reporting to hours rather than days Better quality control and consistency Import duty and tax benefits Fewer supply disruptions All of these factors improve efficiency, which in turn can save you time and money, while improving quality.

Manufacturing plays a very strategic role in an organization, especially to improve performance. With rapid changes in technology, customer needs and globalization, manufacturing itself is constantly transforming and evolving. The focus is now on Green manufacturing. Recent volatility in the price of fossil fuels and global awareness about the finite nature of our resources is creating the need for a more sustainable way of how we produce and use. With the heightened focus on climate change, a transformation of mindset and positive action is now happening. What is Green manufacturing? There are many interpretations of green manufacturing and all convey similar meaning. Put simply, it is the method of manufacturing that reduces its impact on the environment by minimizing waste while improving efficiency. Manufacturers need to review their total production process, from product and process design, to development, planning and control in order to identify and manage the reduction of environmental waste, alongside maximising resource efficiency. It seems obvious to explain that by being more efficient throughout the production process; using fewer resources, less energy and reducing waste, results in less time and money being lost, yet there are still those guilty of failing to commit to this ideal – passing the cost of this decision to their customers. What are we doing? Tenkay Electronics is dedicated to operating in a social responsible way and recognizes the critical importance of a sustainable environment to our global society, our economy, our business and our people. Given our position and our ongoing commitment to good corporate citizenship, Tenkay Electronics is proud to be ISO 14001 certified. Its comprehensive environmental policy and management system (EMS) provides the framework for us to continue to be an environmentally friendly corporate citizen and a leader in our community. Tenkay Electronics is committed to providing its customers with products that meet the highest standards of performance, innovation and environmental safety. Consequently, all of Tenkay’s products comply with Directive 2012/19/EU, a legislation enacted by the European Union regulating the disposal of electrical and electronic equipment (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, or WEEE). With customers and consumers insisting on improved quality and performance and the increasing desire to buy ‘green’ – all at a competitive price – manufacturers need to demonstrate their commitment to provide green manufacturing, or end up sidelined by the competition. Are you looking to subcontract your manufacturing needs? Are you ready for the benefits of green manufacturing? Contact us to find out how we can help you. Call us on 01903 855 464. Results are in – Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) data The data released on Monday shows a slowing in manufacturing growth over the past few months but, surprisingly, October saw an unexpected rise in activity within the UK’s manufacturing sector, putting the UK ahead of the EU. The Eurozone’s September manufacturing PMI figure was revised down to 50.3 – making it seriously close to the 50 point cutoff denoting expansion. The UK’s PMI was expected to drop to 51.4, but it actually rose to 53.2.

401 runners completed the difficult five-mile course at the Tenkay Steepdown Challenge in Lancing in glorious sunshine on Sunday. The course incorporates a climb of 160 metres from the start to the midway point at… Click the image below to read the full article from the Worthing Herald.

October 2014 We recently announced that all our operatives will be trained to become Certified IPC Specialists. Virtually all electrical and electronic assemblies and sub assemblies are connected to each other or the outside world by means of a cable or wire harness of some sort. A wire harness generally consists of a number of wires formed into a specific shape by means of cable restraints and terminated in crimps, connectors or solder joints. Each crimp, connector or solder joint is a potential weak link in the chain of connectivity, the early failure of any part of which can cause the failure of the entire unit. A poorly made cable or harness may pass all the initial tests and yet fail when subjected to real world conditions especially as many are used in adverse environments such as aerospace. Faulty cables and harnesses can be amongst the hardest items to diagnose. The only way to guard against such failure is to ensure that all cable terminations are made correctly, using quality tools (calibrated where appropriate) and to internationally accepted standards. Enter IPC. The full title of the applicable IPC standard is IPC/WHMA-A-620B, Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies. The standard consists of a collection of acceptability criteria for cable, wire and harness assemblies. The acceptance criteria are based on visual inspection of the assemblies, measured criteria such as pull force are not addressed (but not excluded). For each type of wire termination it sets out the target conditions, acceptable deviations and unacceptable conditions. Each of these is shown by means of a photograph and described by means of text, in case of a discrepancy, the written criteria always takes precedence over the illustrations. The standard recognises that not every Electrical or Electronic Assembly needs to be built to the same standard, you would not expect a car radio to be built to the same standard as an aircraft autopilot! Hence the standard has criteria for three separate classes of product: Class 1 – General Electronic Products "Includes products suitable for applications where the major requirement is the function of the completed assembly." – Basically so long as it worked when tested that’s good enough! Class 2 – Dedicated Service Electronic Products "Includes products where continued performance and extended life is required, and for which uninterrupted service is desired but not critical. Typically, the end-use environment would not cause failures." – The computer on your desk for example. Class 3 – High Performance Electronic Products "Includes products where continued performance or performance-on-demand is critical, equipment downtime cannot be tolerated, end-use environment may be uncommonly harsh, and the equipment must function when required" – e.g. aerospace products. The class should be specified by the customer. Tenkay most frequently manufacture to Class 3. Because the standard sets out acceptability criteria it does not mean that this is the only criteria nor indeed that deviations are always not permitted. The customers requirements always trump the standard. The standard recognises the following order of precedence: The purchase order or contract between customer and vendor. Master drawing or master assembly drawing reflecting the customer’s detailed requirements. IPC/WHMA-A-620B.- when specified, and to the class specified, by the customer. Other documents as specified by the customer. We believe that by training our staff to become Certified IPC Specialists they will become much better at identifying and solving problems since they will be working to well-defined criteria of what is acceptable and unacceptable. This is a key component of our Right First Time Quality Initiative. Note – Text in parenthesis is quoted from the standard, copyright 2012 IPC www.ipc.org Have you decided to subcontract your manufacturing, or perhaps your current supplier is the wrong fit for you? We’d be more than happy to chat through your requirements, so please give us a call today on 01903 855 464. Team news We are pleased to welcome Richard Purseglove into his new role as Engineering Manager. Richard has been a valued member of the Tenkay team since he joined us in January 2010. His quick progression has transpired through his hard work and dedication to the company. Richard is most looking forward to helping drive the company forward through initiating ongoing improvements to the service we provide. "I take pleasure in adopting the 'kaizan' approach (continuous improvement) to ensure we get the best out of what we have." "I am also looking forward to adopting a managerial style that suits myself, my team and Tenkay as a whole." To contact Richard please click here.

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement in the Quality of our products, we at Tenkay have decided that all our operatives will be trained to become Certified IPC specialists. The training will take place in-house and to facilitate this, our Quality Manager, Peter Matthews has recently become a Certified IPC trainer. Training our operatives to become Certified IPC specialists is part of our Quality Improvement Initiative to achieve Zero Defects by producing Right First Time. Tenkay manufacture Cable, Wire and Harness Assemblies to the IPC-620 standard and Printed Circuit Assemblies to the IPC-610 standard. IPC standards describe materials, methods, tests and acceptability criteria for the associated assembly activities. It also defines three classes of product ranging from Class 1 which applies to general commercial products to Class 3 where "continued performance on demand is critical, equipment downtime cannot be tolerated and end-use environment may be uncommonly harsh, and the equipment must function when required¹". Tenkay most frequently manufacture to Class 3 (defined by customer requirements). For more information about IPC click here. ¹IPC standard IPC/WHMA-A-620B Forward 1.8 page 1-3

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement in the Quality of our products, we at Tenkay have decided that all our operatives will be trained to IPC standards. Training our operatives to IPC standards is part of our Quality Improvement Initiative to achieve Zero Defects by producing Right First Time. Tenkay manufacture Cable, Wire and Harness Assemblies to the IPC-620 standard and Printed Circuit Assemblies to the IPC-610 standard. IPC standards describe materials, methods, tests and acceptability criteria for the associated assembly activities. It also defines three classes of product ranging from Class 1 which applies to general commercial products to Class 3 where "continued performance on demand is critical, equipment downtime cannot be tolerated and end-use environment may be uncommonly harsh, and the equipment must function when required¹". Tenkay most frequently manufacture to Class 3 (defined by customer requirements). For more information about IPC click here. ¹IPC standard IPC/WHMA-A-620B Forward 1.8 page 1-3

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