TDK-Lambda to redevelop UK manufacturing facility

The original factory has a few years on its neck; it was built over 50 years ago and underwent an expansion in the mid 80s. While TDK has continuously been investing in new equipment and building upgrades during all these years (this of course addition of a GBP 1 million EMC Centre in 2019) it is now time for a complete redevelopment, the company announces in a press release. The project will see the increase of the company’s manufacturing space, expand the R&D facilities and also radically, as the company puts it, overhaul and automate the end-to-end material flow. The global power supply market is forecasted to reach almost USD 26 billion in 2024, according market research company Omdia. This is all driven by the rapidly expanding digitalisation of economies, increasing healthcare demands and renewable energy trends. Also, noting customers’ heightened awareness of the need for dependable suppliers due to recent events – such as the USA/China trade war and COVID-19 pandemic – the planned expansion aims to further provide supply chain robustness within the TDK-Lambda manufacturing network, especially for the European market. The company says that the redevelopment programme will be split up into a four-stage process to ensure continuity of production and services. Stage one will be the construction of new offices, including employees’ facilities and a health and fitness centre, on the North and West faces. Upon completion, the South facing office will be extended to expand the R&D, product verification & test, and manufacturing engineering facilities. The link area between the two factory buildings will then be infilled, and Smart, Lean storage facilities and AGVs for material handling installed. Finally, the manufacturing areas will be reconfigured with designated Front End (PCB assembly) and Back End (configuration & test) production areas. TDK-Lambda healthcare power supplies are used in critical medical and laboratory applications globally. “Since the COVID-19 outbreak, delivery quantities to certain healthcare and bio-diagnostic customers have increased by six to tenfold,” says Geoff Wilby, Managing Director of TDK-Lambda UK, in the press release.