JJ Churchill demonstrates return on investment from Sharing in Growth programme

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Family-owned precision engineering firm JJ Churchill of Leicestershire has secured more than £100m in contracts, increased its headcount by 35% and its export forward order book from under £1m to more than £37m after five years on the Sharing in Growth productivity and competitiveness programme.

The Market Bosworth-based company was one of the first aerospace suppliers selected for Sharing in Growth in 2013 when its ambitions were to overcome risks caused by the oil crisis by expanding its aerospace export business.

Since then, with support from Sharing in Growth, it has redefined its strategy to focus on people, customers and new business development. As a result, JJ Churchill has increased turnover by almost 30% from 2015/16 and now has plans to hit more than £38m and add around 20 new jobs by 2020. Consequently, the company has been able to make a £10m investment in plant and equipment.

The Sharing in Growth programme at JJ Churchill’s represented a £1.1m investment from the Regional Growth Fund with the company more than matching that, in time spend on business transformation. Sharing in Growth does not require any cash input from beneficiaries, just a commitment to dedicating time to improvement activities. JJ Churchill is now looking to continue its relationship with Sharing in Growth in order to maintain access to the programme’s unrivalled expertise.

Said executive chairman Andrew Churchill: “Sharing in Growth is an excellent example of the government and engineering working together to make our industry more effective, more efficient and future-proofed. This is increasing opportunity, sales and jobs.

“Working with Sharing in Growth, we have invested in our people, our efficiency and our technology so that we can delight customers by delivering quality products in full, on time and with world-beating competitiveness. Last year we signed one of our biggest ever long-term agreements worth around £70m to supply precision machined blades to Rolls-Royce. I don’t think it gets any better than that.”

There are limited places left on the government-supported Sharing in Growth programme. Companies interested in how the programme can improve their competitiveness and productivity should register at: www.sig-uk.org/apply.