The Manufacturer Directors' Conference 2013

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is the Chartered body for health and safety professionals, with more than 44,000 members in over 120 countries.

IOSH and its members work with forward-looking businesses across manufacturing and other sectors to embed good health and safety as a core value and part of their culture.

The Institution partners with organisations in the UK and overseas to raise awareness and standards by developing training for schools and businesses and running campaigns that are relevant to millions of working people.

It accredits qualifications for its members, gives guidance, develops resources and runs courses and events to support companies in their work.

And IOSH’s thriving networks bring together thousands of members to meet and share knowledge, and engage with businesses. The IOSH Food and Drink Group, for example, shares benchmarking and best practice by running an awards scheme on behalf of the Food Manufacturing Forum and supporting the national Recipe for Safety scheme.

Unipart Group is a leading UK manufacturer, full service logistics provider and consultant in operational excellence. Operating across a range of market sectors, including automotive, manufacturing, mobile telecoms, rail, retail and technology, Unipart offers a breadth of services from third party logistics to expert consultancy. All Unipart sites operate according to The Unipart Way. This is a philosophy of working underpinned by tools and techniques that inspires efficiency, flexibility and outstanding customer service in any process.

The company, which is based in Oxford in the UK, has a growing number of international sites supporting a wide range of blue chip clients.

The goal of the Automation Advisory Board Thought Leadership Network (AAB TLN) is to educate owner managers and factory directors about what automation equipment can do and the benets it can bring to UK manufacturers. Automation needs to rise to board level in companies of all sizes, but especially larger SMEs where the capital equipment could make a profound difference to winning contracts. Companies in non-auto sectors, who are unfamiliar with the range, capability and simplicity of automation kit, need and deserve to know what automation options are available.

The Automation Advisory Board is proudly supported by: GAMBICA, BARA, MTA, Rockwell, ABB, PP Electrical Systems, Siemens and MTC.

Part of Mindtree, Bluefin Solutions is a global consultancy and SAP partner, delivering business consulting, technology strategy and implementation and change, through award winning expertise in SAP, SAP HANA, Analytics, Digital, Mobile and Cloud.

Bluefin works with organisations to challenge traditional ways of thinking and bring new ideas to life. Through our agile, collaborative approach, we help clients reduce costs, manage complexity and enable competitive advantage through technology.

The Bluefin-Mindtree collaboration presents a transformational opportunity for organisations looking to digitize their value chain. Bluefin’s broad range of SAP services coupled with Mindtree’s digital capability can help companies transition to fully digital organizations whilst ensuring there is harmony between the front-end customer experience and back-end systems.

Headquartered in the UK, Bluefin Solutions also has offices in the US, Singapore and Malaysia.

BPE is an entrepreneurial law firm working with entrepreneurial businesses and their key funders within the sector.

The Manufacturing team is led by Rob Bryan and Lisa Gettins, both of whom have worked within Advanced Manufacturing.

From their work to boost innovation by providing the legal support in the establishment of major public/private initiatives such as the High Value Manufacturing Catapult and the Aerospace Technologies Institute, to their daily work helping manufacturing businesses through the sometimes complex regulatory maze that governs their operations, as the only law firm with a practice dedicated to STEM, BPE is uniquely positioned to be able to provide legal support to UK manufacturers.

EAL is the specialist, employer-recognised awarding organisation for industry qualifications.

We operate at the heart of the engineering sector, offering engineering and manufacturing qualifications that are precisely tuned to meet employer needs. Our unrivalled knowledge and experience of the sector results in qualifications that carry weight and respect with industry employers and deliver real career benefits for learners.

In the last ten years 1.3 million people in the UK embarked on an EAL qualification in schools, colleges, universities, private training facilities and workplaces the length and breadth of the UK. Our industry expertise, coupled with our world class service levels, means that employers opt to use EAL qualifications to develop their employees.

We invest in the industries we serve and the skills of those who work within them. As part of this commitment, EAL is pleased to sponsor The Manufacturer MX Awards 2015.

energyTEAM is a market-leading, independent energy purchasing and management consultancy, providing a full range of procurement solutions as well as related services including: Energy Consultancy, Risk Management, Metering & Data, Invoice validation and Consumption analysis.

ENER-G Group company ENER-G Combined Power, works together with manufacturers to reduce their building carbon footprint, energy consumption and costs using their efficient Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems from 4kW to 10MW.

Website: http://www.energ-group.com

Epicor Software Corporation is a global leader delivering inspired business software solutions to the manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industries. With over 40 years of experience serving small, mid-market and larger enterprises, Epicor has more than 20,000 customers in over 150 countries.

Epicor enterprise resource planning (ERP), retail management, supply chain management (SCM), and human capital management (HCM) software enable companies to drive increased efficiency and improve profitability. With a history of innovation, industry expertise and passion for excellence, Epicor provides the single point of accountability that local, regional, and global businesses demand.

The EPSRC Centre seeks to coordinate and provide the research capability for the creation of high value engineering systems based on design and manufacturing for through-life engineering services.

We aim to improve the availability, predictability and reliability of such products to deliver the lowest possible whole life cycle. Our vision is to provide thought leadership in through-life engineering services and be the first choice for UK manufacturing companies for technological solutions, research and development capability, knowledge, skill and advice. We value creativity, integrity, inclusiveness, community building, flexibility, innovation and dealing with real life complexity.

The EPSRC Centre is hosted by Cranfield and Durham Universities. The core partners are Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Bombardier Transportation and MoD. There are fourteen other industry partners in the centre. As a National Centre we welcome new partners across all high value manufacturing sectors.

The ERA Foundation contributes to the economic vitality of the UK by supporting activities that help bridge the gap between research and commercialisation in engineering (with a particular focus on the broad field of electrotechnology).

The ERA Foundation promotes innovation in electrotechnology to strengthen the economic vitality of the UK. The Foundation:

• Invests in the early stages of start-up and young technology companies in the UK.
• Raises the profile of UK engineering and supports young people at formative stages of their careers.
• Promotes within government, industry and academia the importance of engineering and productive industry.

Industry Forum is a leading provider of sustainable business improvement solutions to the UK manufacturing sector.

We support world-leading manufacturers and suppliers increase their operational performance by offering tailored programmes aimed at improving their supply chain management, boosting performance, reducing costs and increasing profitability.

We provide the highest quality of expertise, delivered with enthusiasm, creating the right method of application to suit the situation and context built in conjunction with our customers around the following key service areas.

Consulting Services – Interim Resources – Training & Development – Audit & Assessment

With over 20 years’ experience in supporting our clients in developing their supply chain management capabilities, and as successful facilitators of several supply chain initiatives in the UK, we have a wealth of experience and expertise to bring to your business.

The Manufacturing Services Thought Leadership Network (MSTLN) was formed to raise the awareness, within UK manufacturing, that ensuring long term success requires companies to increasingly focus on creating value in the customers’ business rather than exclusively in the production facility or R&D lab.

The MSTLN consists of thought leaders in UK manufacturing, as well as stakeholders from academia and the commercial world who possess a passion for UK manufacturing success. They also have a vested interest in raising awareness amongst boardrooms of the UK SME and MSB manufacturers, blue chip manufacturers, industry associations and government.

From aircraft braking systems to mission-critical ice protection, Meggitt has been solving some of the world’s toughest engineering challenges for 150 years.

Today, we are a global engineering group specialising in extreme environment components and smart sub-systems for aerospace, defence and energy markets. Some 11,000 employees work across the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Pioneers in technology, manufacturing and business

• Innovative Meggitt R&D projects in areas such as advanced engine control and monitoring are winning support and funding from global leaders in government, universities and business.
• We are a leader in today’s manufacturing revolution, bringing Industry 4.0 to aerospace with a ground-breaking combination of smart tools and big data to create the factories of tomorrow.
• And our industry-leading business system equips each of us with a set of tools to maximise performance and creativity wherever we work, from boardroom to factory floor.

mi is Papaya’s unique cloud-based platform that enables you to manage all your day-to-day business operations via a single dashboard. From audits and documents to safety and training, your information is captured and stored in one place and can be accessed anytime, anywhere from a mobile, tablet or pc by anyone who needs it. mi platform also offers sophisticated reporting and analysis tools, making it an invaluable part of your management team. And like everything from Papaya, it’s refreshingly simple to use and customise, making mi uniquely your own.

For over 60 years, Pera Training has delivered first rate training across the Manufacturing Industry.

Training that is focused on real results, our strategy is simple – we show your learners how to improve, then we help them to make improvements.

• Immediate results – making three real world improvements in their workplace as part of the programme.
• Training delivered on site – minimising disruption to your business.
• We only use industry qualified improvement Engineers, who speak the learners language and have the knowledge to ensure the correct coaching and toolset is used to sustain those improvements.
• Embed sustainable improvements – working as part of a team. A team ethic develops confidence and gives ownership of the changes; further helping to sustain the improvements.

Get the competitive edge with the Manufacturing Excellence Programme from Pera Training.

Renishaw is one of the world’s leading engineering and scientific technology companies, with expertise in precision measurement and healthcare. The company supplies products and services used in applications as diverse as jet engine and wind turbine manufacture, through to dentistry and brain surgery. It is also a world leader in the field of additive manufacturing (also referred to as 3D printing), where it is the only UK business that designs and makes industrial machines which ‘print’ parts from metal powder.

The Renishaw Group has more than 70 offices in 32 countries, with around 3,900 employees, of which 2,600 people are employed within the UK. Although the majority of the company’s R&D and manufacturing is carried out in the UK, some 93% of the company’s sales are due to exports. The company’s largest markets are the USA, China, Germany and Japan.

At the University of Birmingham our research leads to new inventions and fuels innovation and business growth. We produce 6,000 talented and highly employable graduates every year. We play an integral role in the economic, social, and cultural growth of our nation and our region. We generate over £1 billion of regional economic activity each year and support nearly 12,000 jobs. 

Some of the mechanisms that we use to support businesses and entrepreneurs include access to our intellectual property, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs), a new Business Club for SMEs, and free incubation space at Birmingham Research Park. 

Whether you are a large corporate organisation or a small business, and whether you require a short term solution or have a long term project in mind, you can tap into the world-class expertise at the University of Birmingham.  

We have an excellent team of enthusiastic Business Engagement Partners waiting to learn more about the challenges you are facing. If you are a business seeking a solution that will propel your business forward, then please contact us at [email protected] or visit www.birmingham.ac.uk/partners.

WMG was founded by Professor Lord Bhattacharyya in 1980 to help reinvigorate UK manufacturing. From its inception, WMG’s mission has been to improve the competitiveness of organisations through the application of value adding innovation, new technologies and skills deployment, bringing academic rigour to industrial and organisational practice.

Today, WMG is one of the world’s leading research and education groups, with over 500 people working across six buildings on the Warwick campus plus collaborative centres in seven countries. WMG has an annual programme of £180m which includes industrial and in-kind support.

An academic department of the University of Warwick, WMG is an international role model for how universities and business can successfully work together.

WMG leads major multi-partner projects, and through innovative technology create and develop exciting new processes and products that can lead to major breakthroughs and be of huge benefit to organisations. These projects are across a range of sectors including automotive, aerospace and defence, digital, energy and utilities and healthcare.

When implementing any new software project it is vital that both the selection and implementation processes are matched exactly to your organisation’s needs. Connect events enable you to efficiently and effectively complete your shortlisting process to ensure you avoid the disastrous consequences of a mismatched project. The pre-selected one-to-one meetings with cutting edge vendors, networking with other end users with live projects and actionable advice case studies from companies who have “been there and done that” make Connect events the only events to offer six months research in one day. Find out more www.hennikgroup.com

Hennik Recruitment is a specialist recruitment consultancy dealing with senior level appointments to the boards and senior management teams of the UK’s dynamic and vibrant manufacturing sector. With our expertise and passion for manufacturing, as well as, our unrivalled insight into the industry, we are able to draw upon a vast network of manufacturing contacts, allowing us to discreetly locate, engage and place the best people in the best positions.

Hennik Recruitment – Connecting Opportunity with Talent

Lean Management Journal is a leading publication on lean and continuous improvement offering in-depth analysis, comment, case studies and reviews to give insight into the most important issues facing the lean community.

Since its launch in 2009, LMJ has laid the foundations of a strong international readership community. Subscribers from Europe, United States, Argentina, and Australia benefit from the knowledge exchanges LMJ facilitates.

Breaking down traditional conceptions about lean, LMJ is a cross-sector publication with contributions in every issue from public and private sectors lean leaders in businesses specialising in everything from car hire to financial services, healthcare and telecommunications as well as the traditional manufacturing base.

Ten issues of the journal are published every year, providing updates on the latest events, debates and achievements from within the lean community.

Social Sift is an all-in-one social media management tool for marketing, sales and customer service; allowing companies to post, moderate and measure across multiple social networks, all from one central dashboard. It supports sentiment tagging, Boolean search and stream filters and it’s visualiser displays conversation analysis which allows you to identify volume, participation distribution and word clusters. Through the use of social analytic and workflow reports you can easily monitor and evaluate both campaign and team performance against established KPIs. #decodethenoise