Bradfor Ltd Attending AIX Hamburg

Leading Northern Ireland aircraft interiors manufacturer, Bradfor Ltd, is returning to the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in April. The Expo, running from Tuesday 2nd to Thursday 4th, is taking place in Hamburg and is the world’s leading event for airlines and their supply chain for cabin interiors.

Bradfor Ltd will be returning for their third year as an exhibitor, their sixth as an attendee and will join a number of Northern Ireland companies on Invest NI’s stand, 3UA11 in Hall B3 Upper. 

AIX is the global must attend event, which showcases the latest ideas and innovations in aircraft interiors. For anyone involved in or responsible for the purchase of cabin interiors, in-flight entertainment, connectivity, passenger experience and passenger services, this is the industry event you cannot afford to miss. 

Bradfor Ltd manufactures products for global airlines that include seat and head rest covers, diaphragms, straps and general upholstery. These units are delivered in remarkably high volumes, with Bradfor Ltd achieving an average 99.86% on time delivery.

The company offers streamlined procedures, ensuring the finest quality, fast turnover and increased cost efficiency and in 2017, a significant investment was made in the latest pattern digitizing technology for lamination and embossing processes. 

Managing Director of Bradfor Ltd, Patricia Clements is looking forward to another successful year at the AIX Expo. She said, “Having the opportunity to exhibit our products and services at AIX Hamburg, as well as join many other successful companies from Northern Ireland on the Invest NI stand, is a great privilege for Bradfor Ltd. 

“The expo allows us to present our products and show how our company can add value to the airlines supply chain. We’re looking forward to what’s sure to be another beneficial exhibition.”

If you would like to arrange a meeting with a member of Bradfor Ltd’s team during AIX, please email sales@bradfor.co.uk. 

Bradfor Ltd has an array of industry accreditations include AS9100, ISO 9001, Investors in People, SC21 Silver and EFQM 5 Star.

Managing Director of Bradfor Ltd, Patricia Clements, was one of the women who signed the ‘Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter’ at the recent ADS Group New Year Conference at Titanic Belfast.

Launched in July 2018, the Charter was created to ensure a more balanced and fair industry for women. It also focuses on driving diversity and inclusion within the sector and providing fair opportunities for women to success at the highest levels. 

Many organisations, including the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, as well as the Department for Transport, have recognised that more needs to be done to greater enhance the gender balance in the sectors. 

By signing the Charter, Patricia Clements has committed to drive diversity and inclusion within Bradfor Ltd, providing fair opportunities for women to succeed at the highest levels. 

Speaking about her reasons for signing the Charter, Patricia said, “Being a female in a sector which consists mostly of males can, at times, be challenging. I want to ensure that our voices are heard just as loud as men’s and it’s wonderful to see that the Charter now supports our cause. Seeing those companies that have already signed up reinforces that this is a positive step in the right direction for women in the aviation and aerospace charter.”

Find out more about the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter here: https://bit.ly/2GqyUil.

Leading aerospace Interiors manufacturer, Bradfor Ltd is celebrating after receiving their SC21 Silver Award for Supply Chain Excellence.

The company, a manufacturer of aircraft interiors products, had previously received the bronze standard but made a commitment to once again improve their processes to achieve Silver and was sponsored through the programme by Collins Aerospace (formerly Rockwell Collins); the newly formed aviation giant which combines the strengths of two of aerospace’s leading innovators, Rockwell Collins and United Technologies.

Bradfor Ltd manufactures products for global airlines that include seat and head rest covers, diaphragms, straps and general upholstery. These units are delivered in remarkably high volumes, with Bradfor Ltd achieving an average 99.86% on time delivery – one of the criterion for the SC21 Silver Award.

The company offers streamlined procedures, ensuring the finest quality, fast turnover and increased cost efficiency and in 2017, a significant investment was made in the latest pattern digitizing technology for lamination and embossing processes.

SC21 is one of the largest supply chain improvement programmes in the UK’s aerospace and defence sector. Managed by ADS on a national and international level, the change programme is designed to accelerate the competitiveness of the aerospace and defence industry by raising the performance of its supply chain.

In December 2018, the UK Government launched the Aerospace Sector Deal with £10m matched by industry for a new supply chain competitiveness programme, to build on the success of Supply Chain 21 (SC21), supporting SMEs in the UK aerospace supply chain.

Patricia Clements, Managing Director of Bradfor Ltd, spoke about her delight at receiving the SC21 Silver Award. Patricia said, “Achieving the SC21 award for a third time is a very proud moment for our team. We have worked long and hard ensuring our processes meet the highest standards and to be recognised for this dedication is an incredible achievement.

“We are committed to ensuring excellent service, dedication to best practices and high quality manufacturing in an ever-evolving industry. Our motto is ‘Making the Difference’ and this has helped us to grow from strength to strength in somewhat testing times. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Invest NI and ADS who has provided us with unrivalled support throughout this programme.”

To ensure successful receipt of the SC21 Silver Award, a company must consistently demonstrate assured quality and delivery performance, along with a strong commitment to growth.

This award adds to Bradfor Ltd’s already prolific portfolio of industry recognised accreditations which include AS9100, ISO 9001, Investors in People and EFQM 5 star.

In true Northern Ireland fashion, men and women from the aircraft interior sector descended upon Hamburg on Monday 9^th April 2018 where every moment was an opportunity to talk about supply chain excellence and making the difference.

It saw an early start, the majority of which flew from Dublin and a late finish on the stand until it was just about ready, less the odd vacuum and tidy up, for our visitors and meetings for the next day.

Situated in Hamburg Messe Exhibition Centre in hall B2, on stand 2U60, there are three companies, all leading advanced manufacturers in their own field; seat covers, composites and injection moulding.

Tuesday saw an early meeting for Bradfor and IPC with great interaction alongside potential new customers, another chat with Exact CNC saw the composite finishing process explained.

So what’s it all about and why do companies exhibit? Well, to tell more people about their company, the values it adds, the products it makes, and the many hard-working men and women as well as the systems that make it all work.

Come talk to us and you might even get an award-winning Yummie Bake from Northern Ireland.

Check out the video: https://youtu.be/jnHj8j2ckAY

THREE leading Northern Ireland manufacturers have come together to showcase how supply chain collaboration and performance excellence is key to customer partnership at the world’s leading event for airlines and their supply chain for cabin interiors in Hamburg Messe, in April 2018.

 The successful businesses, all exporters, include seat cover manufacturers, Bradfor Ltd, rapid response CNC machining and composite finishing company, Exact CNC and plastic injection moulding company, IPC Mouldings.  In addition to showcasing their products and services at Hamburg, the companies will be demonstrating how they offer additional value add to their Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) customers through innovation and excellence.

 Joanne Liddle, managing director, IPC Mouldings explains: “IPC Mouldings is an advanced manufacturing company offering mould tool design and manufacture, CNC machining and plastic injection moulding from concept to completion, specialising in the aircraft interiors industry.  

 “Passionate about quality, with a core value of understanding our customer, we meet their current and future needs to ensure their product is brought to market within their timescales.  IPC manages both design and operational expectations supporting our customers through planning, testing, production and aftermarket.  

 “The aircraft interior expo at Hamburg allows us to showcase our expertise, build relationships, discover new innovation and technologies, be inspired by leading experts and create opportunities to keep us positioned at the top for winning new business.”

 Staged annually in Hamburg, the Aircraft Interiors Expo is a vibrant must attend business-to-business event presenting a diverse range of leading suppliers to Europe and International aircraft interiors professionals and airlines with the latest innovations, technologies and products.

 Stephen Cromie, managing director of Exact CNC, explains: “Specialising in Rapid Response, we recently received an urgent order over a weekend for 16 parts which we programmed, cut the raw material, machined parts, carried out FAI, dispatched the parts from Northern Ireland and had them in North America within 30 hours.

 “The following day we carried out the same process and sent another set of parts to Toulouse, France within 22 hours, living up to our strapline; ‘Around the clock around the world’. This is not a typical weekend, however, faced with the seemingly impossible, and a good customer in difficulty, Exact made it happen.

 “Hamburg will present us with an opportunity to showcase our precision engineering and composite finishing techniques and show that quality, customer satisfaction and on-time delivery, which are key in all that we do.”

 Northern Ireland is a global leader in aircraft interiors with around one-third of the world’s aircraft seats manufactured in the region. The three companies will position their individual products on an ‘exploded’ seat display.

Patricia Clements, managing director, Bradfor Ltd also commented: “Northern Ireland has a rich history in the aerospace industry with a cluster of successful companies especially in the design and manufacture of parts for commercial aircraft seating. 

 “Bradfor Ltd has been operating from Rostrevor since 1996 providing seat covers, headrest covers, straps and diaphragms along with digitising services to a range of global clients. With our recent investment and addition of lamination and embossing services we are very excited to showcase our many products at Hamburg.”

 All three companies are AS9100 accredited providers with Bradfor Ltd and IPC achieving SC21 Award Silver. Exact CNC has recently committed to achieving this standard.   SC21 is an ADS supply chain excellence programme designed to accelerate the competitiveness of the aerospace and defence industry by raising the performance of its supply chain.

 Bradfor Ltd also received EFQM 5 Star ‘Recognised for Excellence’ with IPC receiving EFQM 4 Star.

 The Expo takes place from the 10th to the 12th April, and Bradfor, Exact CNC and IPC are exhibiting on the Northern Ireland Aerospace/Invest NI stand as part of the wider UK offering, which can be found in Hall B2, stand 2U60.

Leading aircraft interiors manufacturer, Bradfor Ltd based in Rostrevor Co. Down, has been awarded the EFQM 5-star award for excellence.

The EFQM global excellence index recognises the world’s best performing organisations on their journey to sustainable excellence. Gaining EFQM recognition provides businesses with a framework to increase competitiveness, productivity and efficiency, and helps businesses understand how well current management practices are running. 

Winners undergo rigorous examination and must illustrate their employees’ dedication, low absenteeism, high productivity, customer satisfaction and superior financial performance. 

Patricia Clements, Managing Director at Bradfor Ltd said, “Receiving the EFQM 5-star award is excellent news for our team as it reaffirms our professional practice. Having already obtained the EFQM 4-star, we wanted to enhance our offering to both clients and employees by gaining the 5-star award. The recognition for Excellence award has also helped us to discover learning and improvement opportunities, which is extremely beneficial from a business development perspective.”

Bradfor Ltd’s additional accreditations include the AS9100, ISO 9001, SC21 Silver Award and Investors in People.

Bradfor Ltd receives SC21 award and marks investment in expansion and new technology

MANUFACTURING company, Bradfor Ltd, has invested a substantial amount of money in their site in Rostrevor, County Down, with an extension to their facility and the addition of the very latest technology with a view to continuing its year on year growth in the aircraft interiors market and beyond.

The company has also just been awarded the SC21 Business Excellence Award.

Established in 1996, as a family run business and with only six employees, Bradfor Ltd has become one of the leading aerospace interiors manufacturers in the UK, specialising in dress covers and upholstery fabrics and leather. The company provides seat covers, headrest covers, straps and diaphragms, along with digitising design services to a range of global clients.

Managing Director of Bradfor Ltd, Patricia Clements commented, “Since 1996 Bradfor Ltd has grown exponentially. We now employ over 100 people and export globally, especially to the United States and Canada.

“We have a dedicated team of highly skilled professionals and this extension and new technology for lamination and embossing processes will lead to additional new contracts with a number of customers, some non aerospace, and create six new jobs. It is important that we remain cost competitive and continue to win contracts, competing against low cost countries and this expansion allows us to do just that.

“A special thanks goes to Invest Northern Ireland who have provided important financial support for this current development.”

Bradfor Ltd, an AS9100 accredited provider, was also awarded the prestigious SC21 Business Excellence Award by David Quin of Rockwell Collins, after achieving SC21 Award Silver in B/E Aerospace (now Rockwell Collins) Supply Chain Programme in 2016. They have also received the EFQM 4 star ‘Recognised for Excellence’.

Alastair Hamilton, Chief Executive of Invest Northern Ireland said, “Bradfor Ltd is working in partnership with Invest NI and has benefitted from a range of assistance to develop its facilities and ensure it has the right manufacturing processes in place to be competitive in its target market. The aerospace sector accounts for a large proportion of manufactured exports from Northern Ireland.

“We are committed to ensuring that the local aerospace sector has a supply chain that can grow its capabilities in the high-technology, high-value areas where our industry needs to compete. This investment by Bradfor Ltd signals its commitment to building on its global success. We are delighted to be able to support Bradfor in growing and developing new processes for this sector and look forward to seeing how the business progresses. I’d also like to congratulate the company on being awarded the SC21 Business Excellence Award.”

SC21 is an ADS supply chain excellence programme designed to accelerate the competitiveness of the aerospace and defence industry by raising the performance of its supply chain. Bradfor Ltd joined SC21 award winning companies, which set the benchmark on business excellence in the local aerospace sector.

David Quin, Supply Chain Director, Rockwell Collins, added: “Rockwell Collins is delighted that Bradfor has achieved this SC21 Business Excellence Award. The SC21 Programme is an integral part of our Supply Chain Management Programme, and we’re very pleased to be able to encourage our suppliers to engage in this national Aerospace and Defence improvement programme. To achieve this accolade is no easy task however Bradfor Ltd has risen to the occasion and shown great commitment towards their continuous improvement along with their outstanding quality and on time delivery metrics.”

Dr Leslie Orr, Manager ADS NI, said: “This is great news for Bradfor Ltd. Achieving the SC21 Business Excellence Award is exceptional and it is great to see the expansion and new technology in this company. I’ve no doubt that Bradfor Ltd will continue to add to the aerospace sector in the region.”

chieving the SC21 Business Excellence Award is extremely satisfying for all in Bradfor Ltd. This award is only realised through the exceptional hard work of each and every one of our employees. Thank you,” concluded Patricia Clements.

Bradfor Limited is in receipt of Capital Grant support from Invest NI for procurement and implementation of equipment for Lamination and Embossing capability. Support has also been received for the building adaptations required to accommodate the Lamination & Embossing equipment. These projects which are part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme 2014-2020 aims to enable the company to gain new business as prospective customers are requesting laminated products.

Capital Grant support has been received for the procurement of laser cutting equipment along with support to upgrading the Bradfor IT system & structure through the introduction of operations efficiency application and MRP system. These business improvements will enable Bradfor to secure new contracts with both existing and new customers.

Major seat cover manufacturers, Bradfor Ltd, have been awarded the SC21 Silver Award at the Farnborough Airshow, further to their involvement in the B/E Aerospace SC21 Supply Chain excellence programme.

Based in Rostrevor, Northern Ireland, Bradfor Ltd have over 20 years’ experience in producing high quality seat covers, headrest covers, pouches, straps and diaphragms for the aerospace industry. The SC21 programme recognises business excellence for aerospace companies across the UK. Organisers of SC21, ADS created the programme with the aim to encourage best practice and increased competitiveness amongst Aerospace and Defence organisations, notably those performing in the supply chain.

Economy Minister Simon Hamilton has congratulated the Silver Awarded companies saying, “Bradfor Ltd, IPC Mouldings and RTA Ireland are the latest local businesses setting the benchmark in business excellence in our local Aerospace sector.

“Receiving their Silver awards is an important achievement and is an accolade which gives these businesses the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities and competence on a national scale.

“Northern Ireland’s Partnering for Growth Strategy continues to be the focus of those working in the industry. Invest NI remains committed to ensuring that Northern Ireland’s aerospace sector has a supply chain that can grow its capabilities in the high-technology, high-value areas where the industry needs to compete.”

Dr Leslie Orr, Manager ADS NI, said: “Northern Ireland has a very strong aerospace supply base. This is indeed great news for Bradfor, IPC Mouldings and RTA Ireland and the other award recipients. SC21 recognition is a valuable accolade that will only strengthen the relationships these businesses have with their customers but adding to the strength of the aerospace sector in the region.”

Whenever you travel on an airplane, what is the one thing that has the most impact on you regarding the whole flight? It is the seats. More specifically, it is the seat covers that account for the pleasantness or the unpleasantness of your flight. One tends to overlook it, but the quality and contexture of Aircraft seat covers play a most important role in determining the passengers’ experience and satisfaction.

Bradfor Limited
Bradfor Limited, a company renowned for its high quality and reliable work, produces the best aircraft and aerospace cabin seat covers in the market. Such is the magnitude of their work that their product is purchased worldwide by aircraft franchises such as Qatar Airways and they have received numerous awards for their top quality, pioneering work such as the ‘Investors in People Award’ and the ‘ADS Bronze Award’.

The pioneers in this field offer Bradfor Limited their recognition and appreciation for these people have surpassed all expectations in making luxurious seat covers. Let us discuss why and how they are a reliable aircraft seat cover manufacturer.

1.Quick response Procedure.
Whether you are a large multinational franchise or an owner of private jets, whenever you contact Bradfor, you will be amazed by the quick response procedure that they follow. They immediately get back to you and take your order with diligence and efficiency.

2.Competitive quotes and rates.
In a market of corporation owned companies, Bradfor Limited maintains their level of competitiveness and reliability by offering the most reasonable rates one can imagine. These rates are provided to the client within a day or two after taking their order and producing an estimate of the expected expenditures.

3.Customer accommodation.
Bradfor aircraft seat cover manufacturers go way out of their way in helping the clients by procuring the raw material for the seat covers themselves and not putting the client into any unwanted hassling and botheration. The clients are dealt with pleasantness and each thing is tailored according to their taste. The development team also assists the customers of the aircraft seats to dress the seats of the aircrafts if needed.

4.Digitized patterns.
Bradfor aircraft seat cover manufacturers possess the latest in design technologies to produce digitized patterns on the seat covers. The result; you are left with amazingly designed seat covers which are pleasing to the eyes of the passengers and are just as comforting when seated upon.

5.On time delivery.
Bradfor Limited, an in-demand aircraft seat manufacturer, are highly reputed for their top quality work done in the shortest of time. They fulfill the client’s requirements and do all of the work within a deadline so that the customer is satisfied and comes back again for the next order. Their portfolio is impressive and is the star spangled with numerous awards and contracts of various multinational aircraft franchises.

6.Professionalism.
While one may argue that as one of the leading aircraft seat manufacturers in the market, all that pride must have gone to their head but that is not the case. With their work ethics and their relationship with the clients, they remain ever so professional and even more so, they remain humble which is why they are a worthy choice for anyone looking to get their aircraft’s seat covers manufactured.