The name’s Kemp. WH Kemp.
Licensed to manufacture Defence Cable Assemblies and Control Panels
Given the recent (long-awaited) release of No Time To Die, hopefully you’ll forgive the above cringingly poor corruption of the manner by which the movie’s protagonist introduces himself. Fair enough, but what on Earth is the connection between WH Kemp and James Bond, we hear you saying? Well, it’s more a correlation in that WH Kemp has played its own part, over several decades, in the defence of the Realm.
Perhaps we should explain: WH Kemp was founded in the city of Bath in 1967, initially to manufacture and supply Cable Assemblies to a nearby (today FTSE 250) company operating in the oil and gas sector. With the Ministry of Defence also having significant and long-established locational links with Bath and the West Country, it wasn’t long before our customer base extended to working with many of the Defence industry’s sub-contractor organisations. We are proud to say these connections have prevailed to this day.
It will not be a huge surprise to learn the majority of MOD projects we undertake are sensitive and confidential. Suffice to say, WH Kemp personnel have contributed to the design and manufacture of equipment employed by the Royal Navy and British Army units, including the SAS. We have even flirted with MI5.
Understandably the best defence organisations in the world require nothing short of rugged, dependable, rapid solutions from their chosen partners. That certainly applies to Cable Assemblies and Control Panels installed in equipment which, more often than not, ends up on the front line. Time after time WH Kemp has proven it harbours the necessary technical expertise to manufacture sophisticated, complex Wiring Looms, Cable Harnesses and Control Panels, sufficiently robust for use in challenging, hostile conditions.
For example, WH Kemp’s Wiring Looms have been used in airplane tow trucks used by the Royal Navy on its aircraft carriers, as well as in air-conditioning units specially designed for tanks and trucks deployed by the British Army in battlefield situations. And, whilst it may be a morbid subject to highlight, WH Kemp has provided Control Panels for refrigeration units employed by the Army in its temporary tented mortuaries, set up overseas, again in hostile environments.
Without wishing to flog to death the adopted James Bond connection, there was a time when technicians from WH Kemp were permitted access to the UK’s top security Porton Down science establishment. ‘Our mission’ – which by the way we did decide to accept – focused on manufacturing cables for use in the cars of dignitaries, essentially part of the security process for keeping them safe.
Finally, whilst not technically manufactured for Defence purposes, signal flares – used by the RNLI in search and rescue missions – have been known to include electrical control cables supplied by WH Kemp.
We can’t claim to have a hot line through to ‘M’ or even to ‘Q’. However, we can promise new customers looking for a trusted Cable Harness and Control Panel manufacturer, an uninterrupted direct line through to ‘WHK’.
If you have a project with the MOD requiring Box Builds and or Cable Harnesses, and want to work with an open and friendly supplier, but where the need for project and product confidentiality is critically important, then please call one of our customer service team on 01373 855220 or email sales@whkemp.co.uk with your enquiry.
