It was great to check in with Wilcox Limousines recently to see how they were progressing with the NMCL Programme. We were delighted to hear that they are making great progress and getting the most they can out of the programme.
“NMCL has helped slash product development time in half”
Quite simply without the NMCL programme it would have been extremely difficult for us to have survived last year intact, with Covid being so devastating, and we could not have gotten involved at a better time,” says Wilcox. “Historically we have been a relatively niche business, in terms of automotive, but in our particular sector about as big as possible in the UK without changing our ways of working.
In fact, we have made changes across the board by working collaboratively with the NCML assessors and being really open about our business with them – it’s been a two-way conversation over many months.
We have managed to slash our product development time in half, so we are much more efficient and that’s thanks to refining our manufacturing and production principles, engineering methods and procurement process.
I would recommend the process, absolutely. It’s been a positive experience and has changed the professional lives of some of our staff by introducing them to new ways of doing their job, meaning they are more engaged and happy at work. It will have a financial impact too by making us more competitive and profitable in future.
NMCL is open to firms right across the entire sector, from manufacturers of components, accessories and software to those that make or convert cars, commercial vehicles, buses and coaches, trailers, agricultural, road and industrial tractors, off highway vehicles, caravans, and motorbikes as well as producers of equipment designed to enable the manufacture of automotive products.
Applications for NMCL are open and more information can be found by clicking here.
