Blog R.E. Thompson & Co. (Vacuum) Limited’s customer-driven growth strategy - Plimsoll Publishing UK

Founded in 1948, R E Thompson & Co. (Vacuum) Ltd is a precision engineering business that offers complete manufacturing solutions to customers, including full design services, 5-axis CNC machining, gear manufacturing, component assembly, quality and finishing. With over 70 years’ experience providing complex machined components, they have an extensive range of capabilities to cater to customers in a wide variety of industries including aerospace, defence, electronics & semiconductor, automotive, medical and more.

R E Thompson values long-term, collaborative partnerships, leading them to invest heavily in their customers success’ with the latest manufacturing technology and machinery from leading global suppliers, such as DMG MORI and Okuma. Custom fixturing, 24/7 machining and automated pallet systems enable them to provide bespoke manufacturing services in rapid response times and make production changes on any part within hours, whilst maintaining the highest quality standards.

Building on their successful organic growth, R E Thompson is constantly seeking to expand its capabilities for their customers. “We work across a number of industries and wanted to find a simple way to assess companies with synergies to our business for potential acquisition – both from a capabilities perspective and also to expand our customer base.”

However, trying to research potential targets themselves online would have been far too time-consuming, so they set out to find a better solution. They chose the Plimsoll Analysis as it was the easiest and most comprehensive solution to identify and assess companies in their chosen markets, as well as get an overview of the industry as a whole. This proved a critical first step in their in-house research process, avoiding the need for expensive initial consultation from brokers and investment banks.

Plimsoll has also helped customise the analysis to their specific needs and provides analyst support when needed, a key part of the service. “The companies sometimes lacked information…but Plimsoll have been very supportive and proactive. They are always willing to have a call to take us through how to use the software, alongside giving advice on how to assess the numbers and acquisition attractiveness, and how the valuations are calculated”, they commented. “The ongoing support, as well as the regular industry insights we receive, are useful to understand both the market and how to react to the regular changes within it.”

R E  Thompson now use the Plimsoll Analysis on a regular basis to review companies of interest and identify potential new customers. “Being able to compile a list of potential partners with Plimsoll’s help has rapidly increased the speed at which we can analyse lots of companies based on a number of metrics. The ability to filter the companies on our specific criteria makes it simple to use.” Since subscribing to Plimsoll, they have identified a shortlist of acquisition targets and are equipped with the knowledge to spur their growth plans onward.

Check out their website www.rethompson.co.uk for more information.