A Midlands engineering firm celebrating its centenary this year continues to stand the test of time against much larger competitors from across the world thanks to its ethos of retaining traditional engineering skills and incorporating more modern technology.
Counting some of the UK’s biggest names among its long-standing clients Kigass Aero Components Ltd, based in Warwickshire, has built a workforce consisting solely of highly trained engineers who are experienced in some of the UK’s most exacting industries, and young apprentices who are learning their trade from the very best.
Together they make the perfect combination for a highly successful company which has endured some of the most challenging times in recent history. Older members of the workforce admit they are still eager to get their hands dirty, while younger apprentices often arrive with an extensive knowledge in CAD / CAM technology.
By teaching younger members of the team the more traditional methods Kigass continues to fly the flag for British engineering excellence, retaining important skills and ensuring they are not lost with time.
Among Kigass’ most senior engineers is Production Manager Chris Price, a multi-award winning engineer who has been with the company for 31 years.
Chris joined Kigass straight from school. Having excelled at Engineering at GCSE level he decided upon his career path at that time. He went on to complete a four-year Technician apprenticeship scheme through Kigass. It was during his fourth year that he was pulled away from the shop floor to help out in the engineering office for an urgent project – a move that worked well in his favour as it was in line with his long-term ambitions and actually enabled him to progress in his career more quickly than he had envisaged.
He remained in the engineering office for more than a decade before stepping into his current role which sees him run the shop floor, ensuring the 35-strong team of engineers remains productive and customer needs are met.
Speaking of the changes he had seen over the years Chris said: “Even after all this time I love being hands on, getting my hands dirty and working on a machine, producing a programme to go on to the machine.
“But in my time we have seen more use of CNC machines and at the same time it has become more difficult to recruit the right candidates on the labour side.
“With the CAD/CAM packages they too have been evolving all the time and you have to evolve with them. Apprentices of today pick them up really quickly.
“Now 3D printing is making its mark in the industry – by the time I retire 3D printing may be the in thing.”
The fourth-generation family business is one of only two test houses in the UK, with two of the country’s highest trained engineers – Norris Williams and Paul Ashley - calibrating fuel jets for customers such as Rolls Royce, ensuring the fuel flows at a certain rate and at a certain angle. The parts are transported from Bristol to Kigass where they are calibrated and tested to ensure they spray at the right flow and angle, before being returned to Bristol.
Norris and Paul are the last two individuals to sign off components before they are used in vessels such as warships and aircraft such as Harrier jump jets.
Each day they’re working with such high tolerances which if not conducted with the highest level of accuracy can result in dire consequences such as exploding engines.
Norris, aged 64, who has been with Kigass for 12 years, said: “Essentially, we are pressure testing aircraft components to calibrate fuel jets. We have to ensure the jets flow to a certain flow rate. We also have to ensure there are no streaks in the fuel and that it flows at a certain angle. We mainly test the ones we manufacture here but we are also sent fuel jets to test. We can’t make alterations to them, only test their performance and advise of any changes we would make.
“But everything we do here is fully traceable. We fill in a test report, we have stamps with our own personal number and every part that we sign off has its own serial number. We are the last layer between the testing and the parts being used.”
Joanne Wardman-Smith is the great granddaughter of Kigass founder Charles Wardman and says the secret to the company’s longevity is adhering to the values and principles of Charles’ original vision.
She said: “From day one Charles had big ambitions for Kigass and the company built its reputation very quickly as a key player in British engineering.
“By adhering to the same ethos and building on the very solid foundations laid by Charles my grandfather Rex, my father Arthur and I have helped build Kigass into a business which continues to stand the test of time, working alongside major players such as Rolls Royce and F1 over many years.
“Our apprentices over the decades have helped shape the success our company enjoys today and are playing a pivotal role in training today’s apprentices who are still playing a vital role as they are our workforce of tomorrow.
“Between them they make up one of the most highly skilled engineering workforces in the UK which will stand Kigass in good stead over the long term, enabling the business to continue holding its own against much larger and perhaps better-known engineering firms for hopefully the next centenary.”