Bushell and Meadows is an inspirational home-grown success story. As manufacturers of high quality precision engineering products for the medical, aerospace and defence markets, the company has a heritage in Tewkesbury that dates back more than half a century.
The company is based in Northway Lane on the Tewkesbury Business Park and, after doubling output over the last decade, decided to increase its manufacturing shop floor space by 100% in 2013. The extension was completed in July 2015, allowing them at least another 10 years of space to invest and grow.
Bushell and Meadows has come a long way since it was formed in 1960 by Ted Meadows and George Bushell, who had both worked for the nearby engineering giants, the Dowty Group, which was amongst the new firm’s first customers.
The family-owned business was bought by De Soutter Medical in the early 1990s based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. However, there was never any danger of Bushell and Meadows moving out of the town because the Desoutter family recognised the value of its loyal, highly trained workforce and invested in purpose-built premises in 2005.
Today, the company employs 40 skilled engineers working a two-shift system; around 65% of the company’s output is for De Soutter Medical and its range of powered surgical instruments. The company also still works for some subsidiaries of the original Dowty Group, more than 50 years after the company was established, as well as other aerospace and defence clients.
The current Operations Director is Mike Attwood who joined Bushell and Meadows as an apprentice nearly 40 years ago. He has seen the company grow and develop, along with his career, and he’s a fervent supporter of Tewkesbury as a base for the business.
“I’m like many at the company,” explains Mike. “A lot of us here started as apprentices and we’ve stayed because the company has provided us with a great training environment to learn and become highly skilled engineers. That is a huge advantage for the company because we’ve accumulated many, many years of knowledge, which is appreciated and supported by our customers.
Tewkesbury, as a location, works so well for us because we’ve got great access to our markets and suppliers. We’re looking forward to embracing what the future brings and continuing to grow.”