One of the UK’s leading metals service centres is targeting further growth after it secured one of the automotive sector’s most demanding quality accreditations. William King Ltd, which specialises in high-tensile steel, aluminium, light gauge processing, electrical steels and niche metal coatings, received the Jaguar Land Rover JLRQ Award in front of 150 staff at its Atlas Centre facility in West Bromwich.
Andrew McClure, global supplier technical assistance director at JLR, made the presentation in recognition of the company’s outstanding performance over the past year where it has achieved world-class ‘right first time’ and ‘on-time in-full’ delivery scores. It marks the culmination of a £12m investment drive by the firm over the past five years that has seen William King introduce a new press blanking line, slitting facility and stacker, helping it take on new work and create and safeguard more than 50 jobs.
“We’ve been working towards the JLRQ standard for some time, overcoming the additional challenges of Covid-19 to demonstrate consistent quality, cost and on-time delivery,” explains Rachel Graville, who is the fourth generation managing director of family-owned William King.
She adds: “Quality has always been central to the way we operate, so a lot of the building blocks we needed for the award were already there, we just had to focus a little more on standardising processes, implementing a clearer continuous improvement strategy and bolstering training for all staff. Not only have we delivered world-class performance, we have done so against the positive backdrop of a rising order book with JLR, whom we now supply both in the UK and Slovakia.”
For further information www.williamking.co.uk
