Introduction Bulgin is one of the electronics industrys longest-running success stories. After more than 80 years trading, the Bulgin name is familiar and trusted worldwide. Many of our components have gained the status ......Introduction Bulgin is one of the electronics industrys longest-running success stories. After more than 80 years trading, the Bulgin name is familiar and trusted worldwide. Many of our components have gained the status of industry standards. You dont achieve that kind of record by standing still - least of all today, when new developments and challenges appear in the blink of an eye. Bulgin aims to stay ahead by continuing to offer new products in response to market needs. Our major customers, whether distributors or OEMs, rightly demand the highest achievable standards of quality and service, and we continually review our operations to ensure we meet or exceed expectations. As a company we are as strong and dynamic now as at any time in our history. Here is a snapshot view of where we are today and how we intend to evolve over the next few years. Richard Bulgin Sales and Marketing Director The business fundamentals It has never been sufficient simply to supply electronic components. Customers need assurance of quality at fair prices, good technical support and fast, reliable delivery. They also want leading-edge new products which enable them to launch exciting new applications on the market. Bulgin has always excelled at meeting these demands. We work very closely with both customers and suppliers, building strong and mutually beneficial relationships, constantly improving our standards of quality and performance - and our ability to react fast to customers needs. Resources for continued investment In a business environment where fierce competition and stringent customer demands are a fact of life, Bulgin is in a strong position to plan with confidence. Our corporate finances are healthy, providing us with resources for continued investment. Our workforce is one of the most stable, skilled and reliable in the industry, and we have an exceptional pool of talented engineers to design, develop and manufacture our products. We will continue to expand our business by developing our current markets and introducing new product innovations. Above all, we shall continue to invest in advanced technologies to improve performance and enable us to offer market-leading new products - together with the essential infrastructure to serve and support our customers worldwide. Putting technology to work Our ability to get new products out fast - whether additions to our standard ranges or bespoke items for customers - starts with an advanced approach to design and development. Design engineers work with sales and marketing specialists in flexible development teams. These teams are extensively equipped with computer-assisted tools such as the latest 3D modelling system. Serving five workstations, the system allows rapid progression from first design and fine-tuning through to prototyping and manufacture. Product marketing engineers co-ordinate the work of the marketing, development, production and sales functions, ensuring rapid, right-first-time development accurately matched to the market’s needs.The benefits of complete control We perform nearly all our manufacturing in house. This approach - in contrast to subcontracted manufacture - provides some critically important advantages. In particular, we retain total control over the entire manufacturing process from raw materials through production to inspection and testing. Both quality management and product availability remain entirely in our own hands. Our extensive facilities include an automated plastics moulding shop, metal press shop and electroplating shop for conductive parts. Assembly is by automatic or manual techniques as appropriate. Together, these facilities enable us to provide exactly what the customers want, when they want it, from low-volume, turnkey solutions to the mass-produced volumes of our standard ranges.The can-do response We try very hard never to say ‘no’ to a customer. One of the major benefits of handling virtually all our design and manufacture in-house is that it provides a rare degree of flexibility. The extensive knowledge base within our teams allows us routinely to produce customised components and assemblies, ranging from minor modifications right through to one-off specials for OEMs. We are equally adept at changing a product line mid-stream in response to developing market or business needs - and because we have close control over every stage, we can often respond within timescales few competitors would even attempt.Flexibility through training As well as serving our customers better, our inherent flexibility enables us to introduce new products very rapidly. Given the already enormous variety of our products, it’s clear that flexibility is also a key requirement for our staff. As well as selecting people carefully, we provide them with excellent, on-going training to make sure they have the skills they need. For example, around 130 production staff have achieved NVQ qualifications in electronic assembly over the last two years. Warehouse staff and toolsetters have sim