Founded in 2015 with a focus on control system design and installation for the aerospace industry, Warwickshire-based Futura Systems has evolved into a leading turnkey provider of precision test solutions for the sector. “Our success has come from combining a specialist focus with a willingness to keep evolving,” notes Managing Director Jon Allmark.
By concentrating largely on commercial aerospace where reliability, traceability and support are essential, Futura has been able to “develop deep expertise rather than trying to be all things to all customers. When a customer asks us to solve a difficult test or control challenge, we understand the engineering detail and the consequences of getting it wrong.”
Boasting a fully integrated, multidisciplinary engineering model, the company brings mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, controls and software engineering together under one roof. This successful holistic design and build approach has enabled Futura to develop many long-standing relationships with companies who recommend it because its systems remain accurate, safe and serviceable long term. Indeed, this momentum in recent years has seen it capture opportunities in the defence sector too.
“We take the time to understand the requirement, communicate openly and support the equipment,” says Jon. “That creates long-term relationships rather than one-off transactions, and each programme gives customers the confidence to entrust us with a complex challenge next time.”
“Innovation at Futura is practical and customer-led,” emphasises Jon. “We do not adopt technology simply because it is new; we use it when it can make a system more capable, easier to operate, faster to validate or more reliable.”
On the product side, that means combining mechanical and hydraulic engineering with the company’s own electrical controls and software from the beginning of a project. Jon underlines the fact that “customers receive an integrated system that is instrumented, monitored and safety-interlocked as part of the original design, rather than a collection of separate elements brought together at the end.”
Innovation in the process is equally practical. “Bespoke engineering requires skilled judgement, but we look for ways to shorten the journey from requirement to validated system. Better collaboration across disciplines, structured design reviews, reusable engineering knowledge and earlier testing help us identify risk sooner. The objective is predictable delivery without compromising aerospace quality, traceability or safety.”
A current project with Eaton Aerospace demonstrates this approach. Futura was selected to design and manufacture a suite of five production test rigs to validate 24 distinct wing-based fuel pump configurations. Rather than building 24 individual, costly test units, Futura engineered a modular, highly flexible platform capable of accommodating the different test requirements. “It shows what innovation means to us: not a technology showcase, but a carefully integrated system that simplifies a complex production challenge and gives the customer a robust, practical and supportable solution,” notes Jon.
To support increasingly complex programmes, Futura has directed significant investment across its infrastructure, technical tools and workforce. For example, the move to its upgraded facility in Studley, Warwickshire – which features dedicated clean assembly, fabrication areas and enhanced site services – allows Futura to conduct full-scale fuel-rig testing safely on-site. It is also dedicated to investing in its people, developing skills in-house while presenting career paths for graduates, apprentices and talented specialists.
As Futura looks to broaden its reach across aerospace and expand further into defence, its core ambition remains rooted in long-term partnership rather than transaction. “Our relationship with Eaton Aerospace illustrates the model we want to repeat. The programme has grown because trust has increased with each stage, not because the work is won and re-won on price alone. We want to build fewer but deeper partnerships with customers who value engineering done properly and who see Futura as an extension of their own team.”
Jon feels the company is well-placed to explore new opportunities. “If we continue to invest carefully, develop talented people and deliver on our promises, we believe Futura can grow from a respected specialist and one of the UK’s most trusted providers of precision test and control systems into a global leader, while remaining family-owned, rooted in Warwickshire and committed to British engineering.”
Manufacturing & Engineering Magazine | The Home of Manufacturing Industry News
