Photofab SC21 accreditation


SC21 Bronze awarded for 8th year running

- Photofab

Photofab are proud and delighted to announce that we have once again achieved the SC21 Bronze accreditation for the 8th consecutive year, which is a testament to our ongoing work ethic and dedication to providing an excellent service to our customers. Supply Chains for the 21st Century (SC21) is an improvement programme designed to accelerate the competitiveness of the Aerospace and Defence industry by raising the performance of its supply chains; that is why the programme is endorsed by all major UK Aerospace and Defence companies. With national and international competitiveness increasing, Photofab feel that it is crucial that we maximise our performance and achieve key results. The below table shows the criteria that had to be met in order to receive the accreditation.

SC21 results

Photofab were presented with the SC21 Bronze 7 year + Award in January, and would like to give thanks to the S21 Key Assessor Karl Smith for his support and guidance. With an average score across all customers, Photofab achieved a staggering 98.10% ‘Delivery’ performance average, and with the ‘Quality’ performance average scored a superb 99.33%!

- Photofab

Photofab’s Technical Director, Tom Pounds said: “We are very proud to have achieved this Bronze award for the 8th year in a row, and have worked hard on our continuous improvement techniques and processes to ensure we offer our customers the very best service we can. This year we have concentrated on improving our relationships with key suppliers and customers, which has reinforced our mission to maintain our position as a world leader in chemical etching.”

Photofab work with many different sectors including Aerospace and Defence, Automotive, Communication, Electronics, Life Sciences, Medical, Optical, Product Development, Scientific and Security. There is practically no individual industry which does not require a metal component or metal item at some point – and we are proud to work with almost every sector you can imagine, whilst focusing on full traceability and detailed process controls, and offering the lowest cost possible whilst not at the detriment to quality and a Rapid Delivery Service. With Photofab, more than 70,000 different components have been produced. If you can draw it, we can make it in thin sheet metal!

Give us a call today on +44 (0)1480 226699 to discuss your new project, or drop us an email at sales@photofab.co.uk.

Take a look at other

NEWS from Photofab


- Photofab

Prototyping Forming: On form to shape an outstanding service

With decades of experience in the production of tooling for sheet metal forming, which has been instrumental in supporting our globally renowned chemical etching capabilities, Photofab are already well established in the industry for quality hard tooling. Recognising the significance of this process in the manufacturing journey, we made substantial investments in a specialised secondary unit.

Find out more
- Photofab

Craig’s taste of victory with the Easter egg hunt

The winner of our Easter Egg Hunt, Craig Price, had an unexpected but delightful face-off with his colleague Adam.

Find out more
- Photofab

Empowering Aerospace and Space Innovation with our Chemical Etching Expertise

We have a long-standing history of meeting the needs of respected companies in the aerospace and space industries. Our expertise lies in the precise chemical etching process, which we use to create essential components for aerospace and space exploration projects.

Find out more
- Photofab

Experience Fast and Efficient Turnaround

With our unwavering commitment to quality, precision, and quick turnaround times, we are the go-to choice for all your chemical etching needs.

Find out more
Apprenticeships

Embracing Apprenticeships in engineering

At Photofab, we’ve enjoyed a long history of apprenticeships and developed some incredible successes including our very own Managing Director Neil Shorten and Operations Director Paul Rea.

Find out more
Photofab promotions

employees leading by example

At Photofab, our most valued assets are our dedicated employees. We are thrilled to announce several recent promotions to Team Leader for members of the Photofab team

Find out more
Account Management Teams

The outstanding value of a dedicated Account Manager

The importance of Account Managers in a business is unprecedented. These people in particular play a crucial role at Photofab, serving as the primary point of contact for customers, building strong business relationships with them to form a trusting bond.

Find out more
Photofab family fun day

Family Fun Day ensures smiles all-round

The Photofab team was proud to host a Family Fun Day on Saturday 23rd September, which included activities for people of all ages, including games, music, and food and drink. The event was also an opportunity for Photofab to raise money for 3 Pillars Trust, a charity that feeds and provides clothes and bedding to over 60 people each night.

Find out more
Chemical etching for medical components

Delivering precision etching for leading medical component manufacturers

The medical sector is constantly evolving. Getting essential medical components to market quickly and reliably is critical. That’s why leading medical device companies partner with Photofab for high-precision etched parts.

Find out more
Photofab_social-cards_Electronics feature image

chemical etching powering the electronics sector

Chemical etching carries the unique advantages of leaving the internal structure of the metal unchanged. Neither does it affect the properties of the metal with regard to hardness, grain structure, or ductility of the metal. This is critical for electronic components to ensure accuracy and consistency of the original specifications.

Find out more
Driving Renewables Forward with Chemical Etching

Driving Renewables Forward with Chemical Etching

Chemical etching is the ideal manufacturing process for renewable energy applications. The etching process yields components with remarkable accuracy and consistency thanks to Photofab’s state-of-the-art process and expert staff.

Find out more
Etching partner

Why choose a full-service chemical etching partner?

Chemical metal etching is a highly accurate machining process for producing precision metal components with incredibly tight tolerances. Chemical etching is sometimes known as photo chemical milling, photo chemical etching…

Find out more
- Photofab

Flexible Prototyping

Prototyping is a necessary stage in manufacturing to ensure the most efficient and cost-effective production run. Our customers prefer to use our prototyping service as it’s hassle-free, fast, and highly cost-effective, thanks to our digital tooling and innovations in automation.

Find out more
- Photofab

Introducing Our New Website

Photofab is delighted to unveil our new website, built from the ground up to wow our customers and to showcase our knowledge of metal etching services.

Find out more
- Photofab

Turning up the volume on chemical etching

Photofab’s chemical etching process allows for cost-effective, precision manufacturing of complex designs with tight tolerances.

Find out more
- Photofab

Why you should choose Photofab for chemical etching

Photofab’s chemical etching process allows for cost-effective, precision manufacturing of complex designs with tight tolerances.

Find out more
- Photofab

Supporting our employees during mental health awareness week

We understand that mental health is a critical aspect of healthcare and support our workers as much as we can, treating it in the same way we would for physical health.

Find out more
- Photofab

Protecting your electronics with EMI and RFI shielding

Choosing chemical etching for the manufacture of EMI and RFI shielding components offer a multitude of advantages.

Find out more
- Photofab

Photofab Odd Sock Day

Photofab is a proud to support local charitable causes and were just recently delighted to support World Down Syndrome Day.

Find out more
Photofab chemical etching

Shims and Spacers

Photofab commonly manufactures metal shims and spacers from as thin as 0.01mm up to 1.2mm. These are produced to a very high tolerance and can be available in a wide selection of metals, including popular materials such as mild steel, carbon steel and stainless steel. You can trust Photofab’s experts to deliver outstanding service and quality, no matter the product or process.

Find out more
Photofab chemical etching

Expect more from your metal fabrication partner

Whilst Photofab continues to be renowned as world leaders in chemical etching, our offering has expanded to encapsulate the whole process from start to finish.

Find out more
Neil shorten in front of union flag

Neil Shorten looks back on 2022 at Photofab

Neil Shorten, Managing Director at Photofab reflects on the year and looks ahead to 2023. Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

Find out more
Photofab chemical etching union flag

Time to reshore your manufacturing supply chain

Our country has faced many challenges in recent times causing a crippling domino effect of disruptions in the supply chain, forcing longer lead-times and reduced profit margins. Reshoring manufacturing services in Britain can help alleviate many of these issues.

Find out more
Photofab Volume Automation chemical etching

Photofab automates faster lead-times

Building on our 50 years’ experience and continuous investment in people and processes, we have evolved our high-volume chemical etching services to deliver industry leading standards in both quality and lead-times.

Find out more
Photofab Etching versus Laser Cutting

Chemical etching vs laser cutting, which one works best?

This is a question we’re often asked as both methods offer cost-effective, precision cutting and engraving of sheet metal

Find out more