Birmingham-based Brigham Pressings is sharpening its focus on the aerospace market, building on its AS9100 accreditation to develop new relationships with aircraft manufacturers, Tier 1 suppliers and specialist engineering businesses.
The company’s established capabilities in precision metal pressings, high-speed metal stamping, progression tooling and complex metal assemblies provide a strong manufacturing foundation for aerospace programmes, where component quality, repeatability, traceability and reliable delivery are central to supplier selection. For Brigham Pressings CEO Doug Allen, the accreditation represents an important part of the company’s wider strategy to expand its presence in technically demanding manufacturing sectors.
“AS9100 provides a recognised framework for the quality standards aerospace customers expect from their manufacturing partners,” said Allen.
“We have invested considerably in our manufacturing capability, tooling expertise and quality systems, and aerospace is a market where those strengths are particularly relevant. Our ambition is to work with more aerospace businesses, applying our experience in precision presswork to components and assemblies that demand consistent performance throughout their production life.”
AS9100 is the internationally recognised quality management standard developed for the aviation, space and defence industries. Based on ISO 9001, it incorporates additional requirements covering areas including product safety, risk management, configuration control, traceability and the prevention of counterfeit parts.
For aerospace manufacturers, these requirements extend throughout the supply chain, influencing how suppliers manage production processes, document manufacturing activity and demonstrate conformity to customer specifications. At Brigham Pressings, responsibility for maintaining and developing this quality culture sits with Compliance Director Anna Lavender-Moore, who sees the standard as an important commercial and operational asset.
“AS9100 places a strong emphasis on disciplined processes, accountability and the ability to demonstrate that components have been manufactured in accordance with defined requirements,” said Lavender-Moore.
“For our customers, that means confidence in how we manage quality from the initial engineering review through to production and final inspection. It also provides our teams with a clear framework for continual improvement, ensuring that the systems supporting our manufacturing operations develop alongside customer expectations.”
The accreditation is particularly relevant as aerospace manufacturers seek suppliers capable of supporting increasingly complex production requirements while maintaining rigorous documentation and process controls. For Brigham Pressings, the opportunity lies in applying its established manufacturing expertise within an industry where the combination of engineering capability and formal quality assurance carries considerable weight.
Brigham’s aerospace proposition is supported by a manufacturing operation in Coleshill, Birmingham, with a press fleet ranging from 60 to 400 tonnes, covering progression presswork, transfer pressing and single-operation manufacturing.
Its capabilities include precision metal stampings, formed aluminium components, stainless steel pressings, deep drawn components, structural brackets, housings and specialist assemblies. Three Bruderer BSTA 60-tonne progression presses provide high-speed production capability at up to 800 strokes per minute, while the company’s integrated toolroom supports the design, manufacture, maintenance and modification of tooling.
For aerospace customers, this combination offers a route from initial component development and design for manufacture through to validated tooling, repeatable production and finished assemblies. Brigham also works with an established UK supply network for specialist processes including plating, heat treatment and surface finishing, enabling customers to coordinate multiple manufacturing stages through a single supplier.
Allen believes the company’s experience in automotive manufacturing provides a valuable foundation for further aerospace growth.
“Automotive has given us decades of experience in high-volume precision manufacturing, where process capability, efficiency and consistency are fundamental to successful production,” he said.
“We can apply that knowledge to aerospace programmes, supported by the additional quality disciplines required by the sector. Our in-house toolmaking capability is particularly valuable because it allows us to become involved at an early engineering stage and support customers as their manufacturing requirements develop.”
Brigham’s AS9100 Rev D accreditation sits alongside its existing ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and IATF 16949 certifications, reflecting the company’s experience of operating within regulated and technically demanding manufacturing environments. The business has also developed specialist aerospace auditing expertise, with two members of its team holding Aerospace Experienced Auditor qualifications.
For Lavender-Moore, maintaining the effectiveness of these systems depends on their practical application throughout the factory.
“An effective quality management system is something people work with every day,” she explained. “From material identification and tooling controls to first article inspection, batch traceability and final verification, every stage contributes to the assurance we provide our customers.
“Aerospace places considerable importance on objective evidence. Customers need to understand how a component has been produced, which controls have been applied and how conformity has been demonstrated. Our systems are designed to make that information available and reliable throughout the manufacturing process.”
The company’s investment in quality also supports its broader programme of operational improvement, including the Brigham Operating System, which brings together maintenance, workforce development, quality management and manufacturing performance.
Allen brings direct aerospace sector experience to Brigham, having previously held senior positions with organisations including Moog, UTC Aerospace Systems and Goodrich. That background has helped shape the company’s approach to developing its aerospace customer base, particularly the importance of supplier qualification, programme management and long-term manufacturing partnerships.
The business is also pursuing engineering innovation through its Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Birmingham City University, supporting developments in manufacturing technology, digital capability and new product development.
“Aerospace programmes are often measured in years and decades, and customers are looking for manufacturing partners with the capacity, systems and technical understanding to support that timescale,” Allen added.
“Our approach is to continue strengthening the business around those expectations. We have the manufacturing assets, the engineering expertise and an accredited quality management system. The next stage is developing more opportunities to put those capabilities to work within the aerospace supply chain.”
As aircraft manufacturers and their suppliers continue to develop production capacity, UK manufacturers with established engineering expertise and accredited quality systems have an opportunity to contribute to future programmes. For Brigham Pressings, the focus is on building its position as a UK source of AS9100-accredited aerospace presswork, providing precision components, tooling expertise and manufacturing support to customers seeking dependable domestic supply.
Lavender-Moore believes the company’s quality culture will remain central to that development.
“Every successful aerospace relationship depends on trust, and that trust is earned through consistent performance and the evidence behind it,” she said. “AS9100 gives us a recognised framework for demonstrating our capability, while our continued investment in people, processes and systems helps us maintain the standards our customers expect.”
Allen concluded: “We see aerospace as an important market for Brigham’s future. Our heritage is in precision metal pressings, and we have developed a business with the technical and operational capability to serve some of manufacturing’s most demanding sectors.
“With AS9100 firmly established within our operations, we are well positioned to build new aerospace partnerships and contribute more extensively to the UK manufacturing supply chain.”