Exhaust company rides the recession

A YORKSHIRE exhaust manufacturer said it expects to increase turnover to 2m over the next 18 months following a contract to supply a national car firm.

Sheffield-based Exhausts UK specialises in the manufacture of stainless steel exhausts, supplies both trade and retail customers under the retail brand name Cobra Sport exhausts.

The company, which employs 11 people is run by brother and sister Peter and Rachel Jarvis whose family has been in the exhaust business for over 40 years.

They turned to the Manufacturing Advisory Service Yorkshire and Humber for help and advice on how to get ready for a big increase in production following the contract win.

MAS consultant Brian Houghton, from Brook Corporate Developments, carried out a manufacturing review of the business which led to improvements including splitting the Cobra and Exhausts UK manufacturing units into two separate areas.

The move made it easier to identify and simplify the resources and storage of each production line.

He also oversaw the introduction of a dedicated production line for volume manufacturing.

As well as a rise in turnover, one new job has been created and a 12 per cent improvement in people productivity has been achieved, the company said.

Further developments over the next 18 months include the development of its own retail exhaust range as well as increasing its production capacity by 50 per cent to service existing and new contracts.

The company currently produces up to 500 exhausts a month.

Ms Jarvis said: “We seem to have ridden the recession really well. People are holding on to their cars and changing their parts instead of buying a new car.”