Cajero’s managing director, Alex Harding is a picture of good health. On the day of our meeting, he was up at the crack of dawn working out in the gym before starting work. A healthy body means a healthy mind, and it’s something he’s keen to impress on his colleagues. Employee wellness is all about ensuring people are happy and healthy, in and out of work - a win-win for both parties as they’re more likely to be engaged and productive.
“We are in a time where people are looking for more from their work experience - one that is aligned to meaning and personal accomplishment and encourages growth and kindness,” he begins. “We are considerate of others and inclusive about where the company is heading. We work as a team to craft our vision. I have a wealth of minds within the company that I can rely on for help when looking at issues like where we are as a company, where we want to be, and how we’re going to get there. Brand loyalty begins at home.”
From its 15,000ft2 facility in Queenborough, Kent, Cajero designs and manufactures a range of standard and engineered cutting tool solutions for the global civil and defence aerospace supply chain. Customer productivity gains and product innovation form the cornerstones of the company and remain at the core of everything it does. As a second-generation family-owned business, it provides a strong, unwavering commitment to the development of its high-performance solid carbide and PCD cutting tools for customers machining products made from an ever-changing mix of composite materials.
“Working with people that appreciate our value-added approach enables us to export around 85% of our products. Of this figure, 55% comprises North America with the majority being Boeing-related work on existing programmes. We’ve become increasingly involved in 777X work, performing slot milling and trimming machining trials on 1” thick carbon fibre composites for wing and aerostructure manufacturing. We must be at the heart of where the major R&D focus takes place; collaborating with our customers on their challenges is key, as opportunities to earn loyalty are cleverly disguised as challenges. When that aircraft becomes productionised, we’re in a good position to work with one another for the lifetime of that programme.
“As a Boeing-approved supplier, the majority of what we do is specialised composite cutting tools with a particular expertise in countersink tooling. I know of no-one that has the wealth and breadth of variety we offer. Our main focus centres around interchangeability through indexable designs. You can countersink your carbon composite component. Switch your inserts (it takes seconds). Then countersink titanium, aluminium, or Kevlar. And then switch back to composites. You can do it all using the same indexable countersink adaptor. Customers further reduce their cost-per-part by replacing only the worn inserts, plus they get their dull PCD inserts reserviced too. We’re working with some really innovative OEMs and tier contractors that are consolidating production processes via automation and robotics, to simultaneously drill and countersink. We feel privileged to be helping them do this.”
Challenge accepted!
Today, 20% of Cajero’s skilled staff form the Technology, Engineering know-how, Knowledge sharing (TEK) Team to support customer projects across the globe and uncover productivity insights, so that customers can focus on the areas that need attention.
“As a family firm, we’ve got a long-term view on our company and how to safeguard its future. It’s much more than working to be the best in our field, it’s about possessing an extreme focus on the needs of global customers. It’s being dedicated to mutual technological leadership with customers, by way of learning, creativity and problem-solving.
“Our company is on a journey, and whilst we know where we are now, we need to plan for what the industry will look like in 5-10 years’ time. We’re involved in composites machining at the moment, but what will this landscape look like in 10 years’ time? It could look very different, particularly with additive manufacturing and other, as yet unimagined technologies coming into play. The aerospace industry is evolving rapidly, so standing still is just not an option!”
Harding believes the global manufacturing industry continues to lose more engineers through retirement and natural attrition than it gains through schools, colleges or universities. Can we still expect the engineers of tomorrow to be flowing into these companies? Harding certainly hopes so.
“Customers increasingly come to us for help with issues that ordinarily they would retain in-house. Where there once were manufacturing engineering departments full of highly capable, well-trained people, they are no longer there in the same depth as they used to be. As a result, a growing number of our customers look to us to help solve their tough manufacturing challenges, beyond just machining.”
It’s a team gain
As well as helping employees achieve their work-related goals, a key part of any leader’s role is to be an approachable mentor, a good listener and be understanding too.
“Great achievements will come from making a difference in the lives of others. A more personal relationship goes beyond the conventional, to one that is based on purpose. I find this one of the most interesting areas of my job. It goes without saying that creating an environment for my team to thrive is the right thing to do – but it makes good business sense too. I recently read the results of a Gallup Employee Engagement survey, and the findings were quite startling. Typically, companies have teams that are only 11% engaged, with 68% not engaged, and 21% actively disengaged!”
Harding points to another report by Gallup - The State of the Global Workforce - which compared the top quartile of companies with high employee engagement, vs. the bottom quartile of engagement. The top quartile sees improvements in customer metrics (up 10%), productivity (up 17%), absenteeism (down 41%), quality defects (down 40%), and health and safety incidents (down 58%).
“The family aspect of our company is very natural here and not something we’ve tried to force upon it,” Harding concludes. “Creating a culture of competency and kindness will stand the company in good stead, going forward as a team of people rather than as a single entity. Sure, you can go faster on your own, but you can go a lot further together.”
