Derby-based AddQual is urging manufacturers to rethink how they define value, as its Managing Director Ben Anderson highlighted a growing disconnect between price and long-term cost at a recent Midlands Insider roundtable. Speaking alongside industry peers, Anderson outlined how the company is evolving its model towards what he describes as “controlled mass customisation” — a shift designed to retain the benefits of bespoke engineering while reducing the risk, variability and lead times that often accompany it.
For AddQual, which provides inspection and metrology services to the aerospace and gas turbine sectors, that transition is underpinned not by hardware, but by data. “Our price is our price,” Anderson said. “Because when we supply data, it’s structured not only to how our customer wants it, but how their end customer wants it. If it’s not structured correctly at the start, it will cost more downstream.”
His comments reflect a broader shift taking place across advanced manufacturing, where the role of inspection is moving beyond verification and into the realm of decision-making. In this context, poorly structured or inconsistent data is no longer just an operational inconvenience — it becomes a source of inefficiency that can ripple through the entire supply chain.
AddQual’s approach centres on understanding how customers use inspection outputs beyond the point of delivery. By mapping those downstream requirements, the business is able to reduce friction, eliminate rework and ultimately lower total cost — even where upfront pricing may appear less competitive.
“We spend a lot of time understanding our customers’ pain points,” Anderson explained. “Not just what they need from us, but how they’re going to use that data internally, what impact it has on their components, and how we can make that process easier.”
Alongside this customer-led model, the company has continued to invest in capability — particularly in artificial intelligence and skills development — as part of a longer-term strategy to build resilience.
Over the past three years, AddQual has focused on embedding knowledge internally rather than relying solely on external expertise, working with partners who support capability development rather than simply delivering off-the-shelf solutions.
“We’ve been fortunate to work with people who don’t just tell us what to do, but help us develop that knowledge ourselves,” said Anderson. “That allows us to apply it in the right way — and ultimately, to do more with less.”
However, Anderson acknowledged that funding innovation remains a persistent challenge, particularly where returns are not immediate or easily quantifiable. Initiatives such as Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs), training programmes and R&D tax credits form part of the company’s approach, but the value they generate is often realised over a longer horizon.
“The return on investment might be deferred,” he said. “But if you invest in the right people and the right team, you will see that value come back — even if it doesn’t sit neatly on a P&L in the short term.”
As manufacturers continue to navigate cost pressures and increasing complexity, Anderson’s message was clear: competitive advantage will not be won on price alone, but on the ability to deliver structured, usable data that reduces cost across the wider system.
In that context, the companies that succeed may be those that look beyond the transaction — and focus instead on the total value they create.
