Founder and Chief Executive, David Cockayne told the Journal: “It’s good to see engineering being taken seriously; proving that Britain’s ‘spirit of engineering’ is still alive and kicking”. Modular Industries was founded in 1975, when at the age of 26 David decided to set up his own company after serving an apprenticeship at GEC in Birmingham. His company developed into the four divisions, comprising Modular Industries, which became the largest independently owned automation specialist in the UK. Automatic assembly and robotics Specialist Modular Automation was the flagship division of the company, with Modular Handling offering conveyor-based flexible handling systems. Precision engineering specialists Modular Precision and Modular Welding, who offer automated welding solutions completed the quartet of specialist divisions. Modular’s highly skilled team of engineers used a dazzling array of leading edge technology, from advanced robotics to versatile software programming. Combining the best of modern technology with proven production techniques, the company built an international reputation, with orders coming from as far a field as South Africa, Australia and the U.S. With emphasis on total automation solutions, David Cockayne’s company carved out a considerable chunk of the automotive components market, with this sector alone accounting for around 60% of turnover. | Record sales of £11.5 million was followed by an ambitious £1 million expansion programme at its Small Heath headquarters. “We worked extremely hard to achieve our growth targets and set a great example to small to medium sized engineering firms,” says David. His commitment to realising the potential of the region’s young was demonstrated by the launch of a twenty minute video ‘Engineering – The Future’. The video is aimed at schoolchildren around the ages of nine or ten and formed an integral part of the company’s pioneering approach to encouraging more children to think about a future in engineering. In an attempt to regenerate interest in engineering David also produced a video entitled ‘Opportunities’, aimed at primary school children. to try and dispel some of the myths about engineering.  Modular Industries Small Heath Birmingham |
