Like many manufacturers, Alvan Blanch faced challenges around workforce capacity and operational efficiency. Recruiting skilled manufacturing talent in rural areas can be difficult, making it increasingly important to maximise the impact of existing teams.

Through the Wiltshire Fit for Growth programme, Alvan Blanch explored how automation could support future growth while allowing its skilled workforce to focus on higher-value activities.

Rather than viewing automation as a replacement for people, the business saw it as a way to help employees focus on higher-value engineering activities.

With support from the programme, Alvan Blanch began introducing robotic technology to take on repetitive production tasks, allowing skilled welders and fabricators to concentrate on more complex and bespoke work.

“With the support of the Wiltshire Fit for Growth programme, we’ll be able to accelerate moving a lot of the more simple stuff across to robotic technology and essentially do more with the same number of people.”

This approach is helping the company increase productivity, improve efficiency and create greater capacity for growth, without being constrained by local recruitment challenges.

Finding the Root Cause

Alongside technology improvements, the programme also introduced practical problem-solving techniques that continue to benefit the business today.

“Within engineering, we often have quite complicated problems which take a lot of digging to get to the bottom of. One of the tools that the programme has given me is considering the Five Whys, to keep asking why until you really get to the root cause of the problem.”

This structured approach has helped the team identify opportunities for continuous improvement across its operations and strengthen decision-making processes.

Delivering Measurable Results

The changes implemented through the programme have delivered tangible benefits across the business, including:

• Increased production capacity
• Improved product quality
• Greater operational efficiency
• Reduced costs
• Enhanced resilience and readiness for future growth

These improvements have helped position Alvan Blanch to respond more effectively to market demand while continuing to invest in innovation.

A Collaborative Approach to Change

The success of the project was driven not only by the introduction of new technologies and processes, but also by a collaborative approach between Alvan Blanch and the Wiltshire Fit for Growth team.

Hilary Centeleghe, Programme Manager for Wiltshire Fit for Growth at BIC Innovation, said:

“From the outset, Alvan Blanch were open to exploring new ways of working, and that made a real difference. Working alongside our expert team at BIC, this project has been a fantastic example of how the right support can unlock real operational change and shape the business strategy for the future. By taking a practical, collaborative approach and combining expert insight with hands-on problem-solving, we’ve helped Alvan Blanch identify efficiencies, introduce automation with confidence, and drive improvements that are already delivering measurable results.”

This partnership enabled the business to take a structured approach to innovation, identifying practical opportunities for improvement while building the confidence and capability needed to support long-term growth.

Building for the Future

While market conditions within the agricultural sector remain challenging, Alvan Blanch is confident that the improvements made through the programme have strengthened its position for future growth.

Alvan Blanch’s journey demonstrates what can be achieved when innovation is approached strategically and supported by the right expertise. By combining operational improvements with practical problem-solving techniques, the business has created a stronger foundation for sustainable growth.

Funding Acknowledgement