Member Article

UK sling manufacturer given a sales lift by MAS

A Devon company specialising in the design and manufacture of slings for patient moving and transfer needs has achieved a 10% increase in market share and grown its export market after implementing new environmental and manufacturing systems.

Silvalea, which is based in Newton Abbot and works in collaboration with healthcare professionals worldwide, has benefited from support from the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS).

Pauline Guilfoyle, Managing Director, The Silvalea Group, said: “We noticed that distribution channels were growing around the world as the healthcare industry looked to find quality solutions to meet patients’ sling transfer needs. It was clear we needed to focus our attention on this increased demand and grow the businesses. We also wanted to address our environmental impact and understand how we could improve and manage our resources more efficiently.

“MAS provided us with valuable advice and constructive support as we identified that our manufacturing and administration procedures needed updating to meet our predicted growth targets. They helped us implement a comprehensive staff training programme for our new manufacturing system, which we wouldn’t have been able to undertake on our own.

“Working with MAS to implement projects has enabled us to instigate strategies focused on building on the strong foundations that are in place so we can sustain future growth.”

Phil Halse, MAS Advisor for Devon, said: “Silvalea had the vision and ambition to grow and we were able to provide the necessary insight into their wider operational needs. With our support in putting systems in place to cope with increased demand, Silvalea has been able to manage their capacity to capitalise on opportunities to grow and diversify. The company now has a solid foundation for further expansion and we hope to support them further with future projects.”

Silvalea has 55 members of staff and a turnover of about £3m. Listen to Gary Bevan, Operations Director, The Silvalea Group, talking about the company’s journey with MAS - www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DZwr4LsC_w&feature=youtu.be&a

For more information on MAS and the services it provides, call 0845 658 9600, email advice@mymas.org or visit www.mymas.org.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Russ Cockburn .