A Hampshire precision engineering specialist is gearing up for ambitious 20 per cent year-on-year growth after teaming up with Made Smarter South East to put digital technology and skills at the heart of its expansion plans.
Penta Precision, based in Portchester, worked with Made Smarter to create a bespoke digital roadmap identifying how technology could streamline operations, better connect its systems and harness the potential of artificial intelligence.
The business is also investing in its people through Made Smarter’s Leading Digital Transformation and Digital Champions programmes, building the skills and leadership needed to turn the roadmap into action.
We've always believed in continuous improvement, whether that's how we support our customers, develop our people or improve our processes. Made Smarter gave us the opportunity to step back, look strategically at where we want the business to go and develop a clear roadmap for getting there. Just as importantly, it showed us that successful digital transformation starts with people, giving us the leadership and skills to turn that vision into reality.
Mark Walker, Managing Director
Founded more than 25 years ago by five engineers, Penta Precision has built a reputation for manufacturing high-quality CNC machined components and developing long-term partnerships with customers across the UK. The ISO 9001-accredited manufacturer combines technical expertise with a culture of continuous improvement to deliver precision engineering solutions across a range of sectors.
Now employing a growing team of 48, the business has ambitious plans to achieve 20 per cent year-on-year growth and increase turnover to £6.5 million using its existing manufacturing capacity. Alongside its commercial ambitions, it has a clear vision of becoming "the engineering company where everyone wants to work and who everyone wants to buy from."
To achieve that, Penta recognized that the systems supporting the business needed to evolve alongside its manufacturing expertise.
While the company had invested in digital technology over many years, key systems including ERP, CRM, accounts and CAD/CAM were only partially connected. Many technically focused roles remained highly skilled with time-consuming processes, some requiring spreadsheet work with duplicate data entry creating unnecessary administration. This made improving throughput for invested capacity harder.
The business recognised workflows would benefit from process automation and AI to free up “technical” capacity to focus on engineering-based tasks. To support future growth, Penta needed not only a clear digital strategy but also stronger digital capability across the wider workforce to reduce reliance on key individuals and help embed change throughout the organisation.
Working with Made Smarter Southeast adviser Jez Heys, Penta Precision completed a Digital Transformation Workshop to take a strategic look at every aspect of the business, from people and processes to technology and future growth opportunities.
The resulting roadmap recommended a phased programme of digital improvement, including AI-assisted quoting, process automation, greater integration between business systems and investment in digital skills. Together, the recommendations were designed to reduce administration, improve efficiency and create additional capacity to support the company's ambitious growth plans.
The workshop also highlighted that technology investment alone would not deliver successful transformation. Realising the benefits would depend on strong leadership, workforce engagement and giving employees the confidence and skills to embrace new ways of working.
To build that capability, Penta’s Head of Manufacturing and Quality, completed the Leading Digital Transformation programme to help shape and drive the company's digital strategy.
At the same time, three further employees completed the Digital Champions programme, developing the knowledge and confidence to support colleagues, encourage the adoption of new technologies and help embed digital change across the business.
By investing in leadership and digital capability before implementing new technologies, Penta Precision has created a strong foundation for its digital transformation journey.
The business now has a clearer strategic direction, greater engagement across the organisation and a team of Digital Champions ready to help turn its roadmap into practical improvements on the shop floor and across the wider business.
Mark said: "We know that adopting digital technology is not just about the tools, it is about having the right strategy and the right people in place to make it work. Made Smarter has helped us build both.
"The leadership programme gave us the clarity to define our direction, while the Digital Champions training is helping us embed those changes across the business. It is already starting to improve how we work, and it gives us confidence that we can continue to evolve and grow in a sustainable way."
With a clear roadmap and stronger digital capability across the business, Penta Precision is now well placed to move into the next phase of its transformation.
Future priorities include exploring AI-assisted quoting to reduce manual effort and speed up customer response times, automating repetitive administrative tasks and improving integration between its ERP, CRM and other business systems to create a more connected flow of information across the organization.
Alongside technology investment, the business plans to continue developing its people through AI training and digital leadership, ensuring employees have the confidence and skills to make the most of new tools as they are introduced.
Penta is also exploring the use of a Made Smarter digital intern to support AI and automation projects, bringing specialist expertise into the business while helping accelerate delivery of its digital roadmap.
