The Power of Networking

Established in 2017, EGE Engineering Services is an engineering company providing solutions with its one-stop array of integrated capabilities and services for businesses in the areas of project management, product design & engineering analysis, quality management, supply chain & procurement, manufacturing improvements and prototype manufacturing. Duygu has over 20 years of experience in the aerospace industry, working for TUSAŞ Engine Industries, Inc. (TEI) in Turkey before she moved to the UK four years ago to establish her own company, which originally provided services to Rolls Royce (RR) through Belcan and Quest Global.

What has changed in EGE Engineering Services since the beginning of the pandemic?  

Before the pandemic began, I was providing project management and cost reduction services as a contractor to RR UK, as well as to a few other customer accounts. However, with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, RR decided to terminate all contracts they had with external companies. I began looking for other clients in the aerospace industry, which led to connecting with some of my colleagues in similar situations and establishing a cluster among EGE, AYD, Dheya, Pilatin and STARES with the intention to diversify our portfolio to offer end-to-end solutions and thus, create real value for our customers. Within our cluster under EGE’s administration, we offer project management, product design & engineering analysis, quality management, supply chain management, manufacturing improvements and even prototype manufacturing.

This formation helped us to attract new business during this challenging time, expand our network and most importantly, it has resulted in satisfied customers thanks to our combined experience and the varied services we offer. Earlier this year, EGE passed the ISO9001 audits and are happy to now be ISO9001 certified. All in all, the pandemic pushed us to try something new and I am delighted to say that all the hard work we’ve put into this cluster over the past year has paid off. Also, we have been very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with two highly esteemed technical and strategic advisers – Paul Cotton (Quancho Ltd) and Glyn Jenks (AIM Professional Services Ltd) who were with us providing guidance and advisory during this journey.

The pandemic changed our businesses completely almost overnight, but we managed to turn this into an opportunity.

What are the main lessons this whole experience has taught you?

Networking is key! Starting this cluster has been a blessing to all of us and I am thrilled that we all decided to come together during an uncertain time. The pandemic changed our businesses completely almost overnight, but we managed to turn this into an opportunity. Coming together meant that we can diversify our customer base and services, enter new sectors and industries such as automotive, clean energy and retail and reach new heights of success.

Also, I would like to thank Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA) for the great support, guidance and networking opportunities they have provided to its members even during the pandemic; it has been very valuable for SMEs like EGE.

What are you currently working on and what do you hope to accomplish in the future?

Within our cluster, we have a design partner Dheya located in Bangalore, and we have started to utilise this partnership in pilot product design and engineering projects with our customers. We have solid expertise in this area and we believe that we can provide great value to our customers. Acquiring new customers in product design and engineering will be our main focus for the future, in addition to working hard to enhance our current offering and grow our customer base.