Our supply chain is critical in all that we do and is the foundation upon which we continue to deliver such an excellent service to our customers. Like most UK manufacturing businesses with a global supply chain, we have been experiencing many supply challenges with longer lead times and delivery carriers stretched. We’re well positioned to take on these challenges but realise now more than ever we must maintain the respect and communication that facilitates the good working relationships we’ve had with our supply partners for so many years. Most of our suppliers have been working with us since the beginning of our business and are an integrated part of our business.

Given the nature of our business, our supply chain must run smoothly to ensure materials are in place to meet our strict production schedules. With suppliers across the globe, we facilitate the movement of materials internationally via land, sea and air to ensure goods are in place on time. We have very little room for error, and we always work to high standards to ensure the quality of our end products is exceptional. This means we work very closely with our suppliers and there is a mutual level of trust and respect so that we prevent delays and if any issues do arise, we can deal with these collaboratively and keep our customers well informed.

With the challenges currently faced across the industry, we have been fortunate to have a chain of trusted suppliers who have worked with us to find solutions where necessary, whether this has been changing a design or exploring alternative materials. This means we’ve been able to minimise disruption to our operations and ensure delivery schedules continue to be met. Our supply partners are an essential part of our business and continue to be key to our customer success. 

Matt Martin

Supply Chain Co-ordinator

There are few more demanding and challenging sectors than space. For almost 25 years we have been the leading UK supplier of transit and storage containers for both flight hardware and ground support equipment to the global space sector. With deadlines to meet and the most valuable of cargo to protect, many of the world’s leading space companies put their trust in us to design, develop and supply all their container requirements.

Our in-house designed protective cases and containers have been shipped to launch sites all over the world with many undergoing numerous repeat missions before being reconfigured for fresh challenges. From satellites to propulsion systems, hand carry cases to 4.5m high containers, 5kg to 800kg payloads we have the capability to meet the needs of the space sector.

The UK is a major supplier and integrator of space hardware and mechanical ground support equipment and Barum & Dewar is long established as a key partner to clients in this market. Over the past decade the business has continued to grow into Europe and beyond which has brought new client challenges, allowing the team at Barum & Dewar to build upon existing experience and strengthen its offering for the sector.

With many longstanding space clients, Barum & Dewar has been a part of many major space missions. Recently, Europe’s BepiColombo mission returned its first pictures of Mercury as part of the third ever mission in history to go to Mercury. As part of the project, long term client of Barum & Dewar, QinetiQ, had safely delivered four electric propulsion thrusters to the European Space Agency (ESA) and the bespoke custom designed containers used to ensure the thrusters were transported safely were designed and manufactured by Barum & Dewar in the UK.

Andy Harrison, Technical Design Manager at Barum & Dewar said:

“Working in this sector brings an exactness and attention to detail that we apply in all our projects, whether in this sector or other areas that we operate in. Knowing that we operate in the Space sector brings confidence to new and existing clients. We appreciate the importance of design and durability needed and this has enabled us to innovate, explore new technologies and ultimately bring high quality technical products to this industry for the past 25 years which we look forward to continuing into 2022 and beyond.” 

In line with the terms of the 5 year NSoIT(D) contract signed between the UK Ministry of Defence and Barum & Dewar in early 2020, Barum & Dewar is pleased to announce it has received approval for the manufacture of a further 600 ruggedised transit cases. The cases will provide protection to a range of IT hardware and associated communication equipment during field deployment, enabling rapid delivery to the frontline.

Following the delivery of over 250 19” racks and 100’s of transit cases during the past 12 months, this requirement builds upon the work already undertaken by Barum & Dewar since the initial contract award. By understanding the MOD’s intricacies and specific needs, we have provided them with high-quality bespoke designed packaging solutions, which have ensured the highest standard of protection and presentation for their equipment. Regular engagement throughout the design process between B&D and the MoD has created trust, encouraged innovation and collaboration, ensuring a clear understanding of user needs.

This latest award will utilise military accredited cases from our partner SKB, which will be internally fitted with custom designed foam, manufactured and installed by the reputable team at our dedicated UK foam facility. This experience and access to leading products, alongside in-house design and manufacture, is a powerful combination.

Having worked in close partnership for over a year with MoD project teams, Barum & Dewar has built a clear understanding of both the user needs as well as the most suitable method of containerisation- allowing us to deliver market-leading protective packaging solutions, bespoke to their needs, in a fast timeline.

"It is crucial to have good relationships and a strong shared understanding of requirements between military and industry to ensure seamless operations”

The defence industry today was re-united in full force for the first time in 18 months at DSEI - and nothing beats meeting face-to-face, making connections, and sharing industry best practice for the development of our sector. The event and show have provided the opportunity to reignite industry relationships that have been online for the last 18 months.

Day 1 has been dedicated to military-industry engagement and acquisition strategy, providing an in-depth analysis of key capabilities and technology programmes from service leaders, as well as looking at where business development opportunities are for solution providers to join the supply chain.

Specialising in the aerospace and defence industry for over 20 years, the Barum & Dewar team have unrivalled experience of the industry dynamics and challenges to deliver every time for our clients. The theme of the conference this year is ‘Powering progress: Defining your future’ and aligns with our ethos and way of working to build strong, valued relationships with our clients and supply chain.

It is crucial to have good relationships and a strong shared understanding of requirements between military and industry to ensure seamless operations. Interactions between clients, consultants, contractors and solution providers, and how effective they are, have a substantial impact on the success of any project. Fraught relationships can lead to underperformance and waste. A lack of strong communication can result in the loss of innovation as ideas travel down the pipeline. Over time, this can whittle away trust across the supply chain and internally, preventing companies from taking on board new learning, best practice, or innovation. Not only can a failure to work effectively as one team (with one common goal) put the efficient delivery of projects at risk, but it can also mean that innovation and best practice take longer to become embedded across the sector.

Building trusted relationships across our supply chains and industry partners ensures that we can consistently give the greatest value to our client relationships. At Barum & Dewar we have built a strong supply chain, working with experts and businesses who also share this philosophy of delivering quality and customer service in everything they do.

Our focus on nurturing trusted partnerships allows B&D to explore the benefits and solutions which only working together will solve for the industry as we move forward - finding ways to power progress and define our industry’s future, together.

To discuss how our team could support you with your requirements, please contact us. 

As we look ahead to DSEI 2021 next week at London’s ExCeL, it is important to reflect on the changes we have seen in our sector over the last 18 months and consider the key changes facing our sector in the year ahead.

Below we look at the expected trends for the sector as outlined in the recently published 2021 Aerospace and Defence industry outlook by Deloitte.

The global aerospace and defence (A&D) industry revenue is expected to begin to recover in 2021 after a difficult year in 2020. But this recovery will likely be uneven across the two key sectors, commercial aerospace and defence. The commercial aerospace sector has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to a dramatic reduction in passenger traffic, in turn affecting aircraft demand. As a result, the commercial aerospace sector is expected to recover slowly, as travel demand is not expected to return to pre–COVID-19 levels before 2024. The defence sector is expected to remain stable in 2021, as most countries have not significantly reduced defence budgets and remain committed to sustaining their military capabilities. However, given the disruption in the complex global supply chain, some defence programs could face minor cost increases and schedule delays in 2021.

Four key trends worth highlighting include:

1. Sector to remain stable as countries plan to sustain their military capabilities

In 2021, defence budgets and revenues for defence contractors are expected to remain largely stable, as military programs continue to be critical to national defence, especially considering geopolitical tensions. Global defence spending is expected to grow about 2.8% in 2021, crossing the $2 trillion mark. Countries across the globe continue to spend on strengthening their militaries as geopolitical tensions intensify despite the global pandemic.

2. Satellite broadband, space exploration, and militarisation to drive growth

Despite the ongoing pandemic, space launches for the first half of 2020 were mostly at par with previous years; the 41 successful launches were only slightly below the five-year average of successful launches (43). As funding continues to increase and costs decline, the space industry is likely to experience increased opportunities, primarily in satellite broadband internet access. In 2020, space investments remained strong at $25.6 billion, and the momentum for investments is likely to remain solid in 2021 as well. Space launch services are expected to record strong growth in 2021, with the market forecast to grow more than 15.7% year over year. Space exploration is also expected to continue to evolve and grow in 2021 due to declining launch costs and advances in technology.

3. Industry to focus on transforming supply chains into more resilient and dynamic networks

Lower aircraft demand and restrictions on the movement of people and goods due to the pandemic led to a breakdown of many essential A&D supply chains. This has resulted in an impact on smaller suppliers, especially those with heavy exposure to commercial aerospace and the aftermarket business. As most A&D suppliers are highly specialised with unique expertise and complex equipment, they could continue to struggle to make quick changes to production in response to varying demand.

In 2021, the industry’s focus is likely to shift toward transforming supply chains into more resilient and dynamic networks, which could be done using strategies such as onshoring, vertical integration, and increased cyber defences.

4. Industry expected to focus on restructuring, cost reduction, and supply chain transformation in 2021

While the A&D industry, particularly commercial aerospace, is expected to face near-term challenges, the defence sector is expected to remain stable and weather the pandemic’s disruption. In 2021, commercial aerospace manufacturers are likely to focus on restructuring and cost reduction to position themselves for profitable growth in the long term. The industry is also likely to take advantage of the pandemic and drop in demand to transform supply chains. Also, A&D companies could pursue M&A opportunities to build scale and capture greater value. Long-term growth prospects for the A&D industry remain strong. The space sector and technological developments, such as advanced air mobility, hypersonics, electric propulsion, and hydrogen-powered aircraft, are likely to drive future growth for the industry.

Next week’s event at London’s ExCeL will focus on these key areas with full days dedicated to Industry and Supply Chain Engagement, Future Operational Requirements, Obtaining Skills for the Industry and Information Exploitation.

The team at Barum & Dewar are looking forward to the event and reconnecting with the industry and our valued contacts after what has been a challenging year for the sector.

Source: Deloitte