Author: Jacky Humphries

The inaugural Subcon Manufacturing Solutions Show Awards, held on June 6, 2024, showcased and honoured exceptional accomplishments within the manufacturing sector. This event served as a platform to acknowledge and celebrate the remarkable contributions and innovations driving the manufacturing industry forward.

NOTE emerged as the deserving winner for The International Manufacturing Partner of the Year award. Expressing his gratitude, Neil Owen, Group MD of NOTE UK, shared, “Winning this prestigious award and being acknowledged for our accomplishments is truly gratifying. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team, whose collective efforts have propelled our company to success. Our achievements are a result of our employees, customers’ triumphs, and the unwavering support of our suppliers. While our focus may be on electronics, at the heart of it all, we are in the business of people. Without our exceptional team, we wouldn’t be where we are today, and for that, I am immensely proud.”

Rewilding

Rewilding takes a big picture, holistic approach to helping nature recover and flourish. Supporting initiatives like Rewilding Britain is crucial for creating a sustainable and harmonious relationship between people and the environment. As part of NOTE Windsor’s focus on sustainability, their recent Christmas Jumper Day, raised over £420 for Rewilding Britain.

Balance

Rewilding encourages a balance between people and the rest of nature so that we thrive together. It can provide opportunities for communities to diversify and create nature-based economies; for living systems to provide the ecological functions on which we all depend; and for people to reconnect with wild nature. The goal is to help nature, for us to live better with nature and take our place as part of nature.

More information

Should you be interested in joining the cause or learning more, additional information can be found on the Rewilding Britain website: Support | Rewilding Britain

It has been a challenging time for everyone over the last couple of years as the cost of living has made buying even the basic needs, quite difficult for many. Food banks have continued to provide for the most vulnerable in our communities and they needed our help again.

NOTE Windsor employees have previously supported the Trussell Trust, which was set up in 1997 to bring communities together, regardless of faith, to end hunger and poverty in the UK. Once again NOTE Windsor employees have been very generous in their donations, filling the boot of Brendon Jones, NOTE Windsor’s Logistics Manager, car – with tinned food, cereals, pasta and more.

The donations were gratefully received by Peter, a representative of the trust. Thank you to everyone who participated in this important initiative. Should you wish to join us in supporting the Trussel Trust, please go to Get Involved – The Trussell Trust.

NOTE Windsor is dedicated to providing a positive health and safety work environment to safeguard our staff, clients and partners, and it is important to us that we can certify this core value.

As part of NOTE Group’s commitment to the UN Global Compact, we aim to continue certification of all our plants according to the ISO 45001 standard, which was included in their 2021 Communication on Progress (COP).

The preparations for NOTE Windsor to comply with the ISO 45001 standard began in early 2022, to transition our existing health and safety practices.

The plan was to integrate the ISO 45001 standard with our existing ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 certifications, resulting in a more efficient management system. Instead of aiming for only the ISO 45001 certificate, we decided to integrate all three standards during the process.

Integrated Management System

Integration allows for the Integrated Management System (IMS) to be managed as one system and audits can be performed for the IMS instead of separate audits for each standard.  Integration also means that we can have one manual for each standard, reducing documentation and making it easier to manage and understand.

Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS)

The ISO 45001 standard brings several benefits to NOTE Windsor, assuring our customers and suppliers that we take occupational health and safety seriously. The process of obtaining the ISO 45001 certificate helped formalise our existing Health and Safety system and resulted in a robust Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS).

Furthermore, audits and continuous improvement activities will ensure that our OHSMS will continue to evolve, supporting our already high standards.

In line with the UN Goals, the ISO 45001 requirements demand that we consider external parties, such as our supply chain, where possible the health and safety and welfare is considered of not only NOTE Windsor’s employees but of all those affected by our activities.

Last month the engineering team were busy again taking delivery and installing another replacement line at NOTE Windsor. This continues the program of significant investment in capital equipment to extend capability and ensure the factory in Windsor meets future customer requirements and growth.

The major benefits of upgrading the SMT line to digital machines from the analogue machines, is that the machines are modern, reliable and repeatable. Managing Director Karen Heath states, “the investment in this equipment further expands the manufacturing capability for NOTE Windsor. This enables us to continue to deliver flexibility and consistent high-quality complex PCBAs as we seek to expand our portfolio and partner with new and existing customers.”

NOTE is one of the leading EMS partners in northern Europe, manufacturing high end electronics on assignment from customers at state-of-the-art plants across Europe and Asia. In November 2018, NOTE acquired all shares in Speedboard Assembly Services. NOTE Group produces PCBAs, sub assemblies, and increasingly, box build products. NOTE’s products are embedded in complex systems used in applications including electronic control, surveillance and security. Most of NOTE’s customer’s are active in medtech, defence, manufacturing, communication and high-end consumer electronics.

Christmas Jumper Day

Every year at NOTE Windsor we celebrate Christmas Jumper Day and the money raised is donated to a local charity.

Helen and Douglas House

At Helen & Douglas House they care for local terminally ill children and their families.  Their expert team of doctors, nurses, therapists, and carers provide end-of-life care and support for children in their hospice, in hospital and at home.  A great deal of fun was had by the staff at NOTE Windsor and we managed to raise £486.10 for this worthy cause.

This year, NOTE Windsor Ltd is celebrating its 40^th Work Anniversary.   NOTE Windsor is a leading Contract Electronics Manufacturer (CEM) and has been in the heart of Windsor for over 35 years.

Starting out as Speedboard Ltd in 1983, there followed a management buy-out in 2003, and Speedboard became Speedboard Assembly Services.  In 2018, Speedboard Assembly Services was acquired by the NOTE Group, one of the leading EMS partners in northern Europe, manufacturing high end electronics on assignment from customers at state-of-the-art plants across Europe and Asia.  Speedboard Assembly Services officially became NOTE Windsor Ltd in 2021.

Key Market Sectors

NOTE Windsor serves various key market sectors including Aerospace & Defence, Transport, Safety & Security, Communications & Broadcast, Industrial & Instrumentation and Medical, offering the entire range of CEM and EMS services from our facility in Windsor.

Milestone 40th Anniversary

Managing Director, Karen Heath said “40 years is quite the achievement!  NOTE Windsor continues to grow, thanks to the hard work of all our staff and a strong customer base across many industry sectors.  We are looking forward to marking this occasion with several activities planned throughout the year as we prepare to start the next 40 years. We’re incredibly proud of this milestone and would like to say thank you to our valued customers and colleagues at NOTE Windsor; none of this would have been possible without you.”

Watch This Space

More news and moments from NOTE Windsor’s 40-year history will be shared in the coming months and throughout the year.