Things are pretty manic here at Charcroft at the moment, with preparations for DSEi firmly underway (The Defence and Security Equipment International event). It’s one of the biggest events in the Charcroft calendar, and takes months of planning. Based in the ExCel in London, it’s expected to draw in over 34,000 visitors across the 4 days! There will be many huge companies competing for business and showcasing the latest equipment and systems.
To prepare for such a large event as this is a real challenge for us – how do we approach it? Where do we even start?! With such tough competition in terms of the visually impressive stands and equipment, we really had to sit back and think about what we wanted to focus on. The products we offer are hugely impressive in terms of their capabilities and performance, but they simply aren’t as impressive to look at as an enormous tank, or fighter jet! It’s pretty hard to compete on the visually spectacular front when faced with such stiff competition!
This led us to take a different approach – what do we do that is really impressive? What makes us stand out from the competition? For us, our main point of differentiation is the service we provide. Defence applications and designs are highly challenging, and for this reason, they need specialist distribution offering specialist electronic components and support – this is what we provide.
Charcroft has a wealth of technical expertise in-house, which combined with our expert design support, customer-specific quality and part number management, bespoke IT system ensuring full & accurate documentation and a library of legacy datasheets from 1970s onwards, explains why we have spent over 40 years as an approved supplier to Defence OEMs & CEMs.
From the latest military-grade electronic components to through-life support and obsolescence management for legacy designs, what we are offering may not be as exciting to look at as some of the equipment that will be displayed at DSEi, but it is very exciting in terms of what we can contribute as a pivotal part of the process. We are also very excited to be unveiling our new franchise – AEM Inc.! AEM is the world's sole manufacturer of high-reliability ferrite chip beads designed for space and military use, and is the sole QPL listed manufacturer of solid body, current limiting fuses. DSEi is the perfect opportunity for us to introduce AEM as our new franchise.
Not only are we proud to be a contributor to this industry, but our role within Welsh industry and technology is also as source of great pride to us here at Charcroft. We will be found on the Welsh stand at DSEi (stand S4-310 – come and visit us!), and this reflects our position within Wales as a key contributor to industry here. Located in the heart of mid-Wales, we are an international company in the smallest town in the UK, offering high-spec electronic components from a Grade II listed building dating from the 15th century – what wonderful contradictions!