HOT TOPIC No man is an island Why the Isle of Man is a haven for UK aerospace Northern exposure The Northern Powerhouse explained
OUT AND ABOUT Ship shape Behind the scenes of BAE’s latest offshore patrol vessel
SUPPLY CHAIN Blazing the trail When you’re small but the supply hurdles are big
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES Defending the future Developing theproficiency and procedures for future defence technologies
SPECIAL FEATURE Artistic license When art meets manufacturing In partnership with:
Enter the tech heavy era of the UK defence sector
INTERVIEW Professor Iain Gray, Director of Aerospace, Cranfield University
www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Vol 18 Issue 6
WELCOME
EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION
A
26
32
s I write this month’s editor’s letter, I can turn to my left from Towers to see the London Eye basking in the English summer sun. Tourists like ants scuttle around Jubilee Park, weaving in and out of the hordes of school children dressed in high visibility vests, happily alighting with their British pounds on buskers, Piccadilly Whip or the unbearably overpriced pint or glass of prosecco. Meanwhile across the Thames, the Halls of Power sit. The decisions makers; the “centre” of the UK tucked neatly in the bottom right corner. The South ticks along, yet there is stirring in the North. Things are happening. The years of recession are now becoming a flicker on the horizon. Yes, pubs are still closing – they are all over the country, but the industrial bubbles of a once rapidly boiling kettle of manufacturing prosperity are once again beginning to rise. The South takes note; it gives it a name.
The Northern Powerhouse
64 HOT TOP IC
No man is Why the an island Isle for UK aero of Man is a haven Northern space The Nort exposure hern Pow explaine erhouse d
OUT AN D ABOU T
Ship shap e Behind the offshore scenes of BAE’ patrol vess s latest el
SUPPLY CHAIN
Ambitious, I’ll give them that – but necessary. The first public mention of this notion came just over a year ago when Chancellor George Osborne stood in the Power Hall at Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, powerfully stuck out his hand, all five digits firmly together and pointing powerfully towards the crowd staring back at him and announced the country’s need for a “Northern Powerhouse”. A place (namely, Manchester) where focused activity on transport infrastructure, creative clusters, and probably more importantly, the provision of local power and control closer to the point of spending. But, as Victoria Fitzgerald points out in her piece, Northern Exposure, in this month’s issue (P32), the idea of devolution of power to the North has been around and spoken about long before Mr Osborne’s grand announcement.
Blazing the When you’ trail supply hurdre small but the les are big
MANUFAC TECHNOLOTURING GIES Defe
ndin Developing the future and proc g theproficienc y defence edures for future technolo gies
SPECIA L FEATUR E Artis
tic licen se When art meets man ufacturin g In partners hip with:
Ruari McCallion finds out what’s propelling the aerospace arm of the defence sector INTERVIEW into the top spot for UK exports on page 40
Enter th era of e tech heavy e UK defencth e sector
But is Manchester the right choice for the new centre of the North? I’m sure Liverpudlians, Sheffielders or Geordies might have something to say. Some already are, touting rhetoric of the
Professo r Iain Gra
Director y, of Cranfield Aerospace, University
www.the manufac turer.com |
July/Augus t 2015 |
unwanted creation of a smaller, yet similarly insular London of the North. Another concern might be that of similar devolution of power potentially happening further north in Scotland. If this is to happen, there is the real possibility of Scotland attracting business away from the areas just south of the border. In fact, it was in a report published by think tank, IPPR North only last month that slated this as a serious concern. How successful the Government is in driving this long-term plan for the North will depend largely on those companies responsible for driving the accompanying infrastructure plans, and already we are beginning to see cracks appearing with the announcement of gross overspending from Network Rail – a direct result being that, rather ironically, the Manchester to Leeds rail track will now not be electrically powered as originally proposed. So will the Northern Powerhouse lose its power before it even gets a chance to stand up and flex its muscle? Let’s hope not, because we need this. We need it bad. Happy reading!
Callum Bentley Editor
Vol18 Issu e6
July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 1
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
The Editorial Advisory Board ’s editorial advisory board provides insight and guidance to the editorial team on a regular basis, helping maintain the relevance and quality of the magazine’s content, both in print and online. The board also provides diverse and expert comment on key industrial developments.
Andrew Churchill Managing Director, JJ Churchill
Simon Edmonds Director, the Catapults Programme
Steve Evans
Manufacturing Engineer, FLAADS Manufacturing Engineering, ’s Young Apprentice of the Year 2014
Deirdre Fox
Director of the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Industrial Sustainability
CEO, the Royal Academy of Engineering
Campbell Ferguson Director of Strategic Business Development, Tata Steel
Tony Hague MD, Power Panels Electrical Systems and Chairman of the Midlands Assembly Network
2 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
Global Manufacturing Director, Accolade Wines
Ben Taylor Assistant CEO, Renishaw Plc
Dave Mooney
Philip Greenish CBE
Beki Davies
Richard Lloyd
GCS&S Operations Team Leader, Spirit Aerosystems (Europe) Ltd and ’s Young Manufacturer of the Year 2014
Hywel Jarman Director of External Affairs, EEF
Managing Director, Drallim Industries
Pamela Petty Managing Director, Ebac Group
Andrew Peters Director, Siemens Congleton Facility
To find out more about our Editorial Advisory Board and the work they do to improve The Manufacturer magazine’s offering to its readers, go to: www.themanufacturer.com
SUPPORTING UK BUSINESS
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IN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR Lloyds Bank is dedicated to supporting UK manufacturers. With specially trained relationship managers for the manufacturing sector, an extensive range of products, and a proven commitment to lending, we’re here to help. To find out how we are supporting manufacturing businesses contact Dave Atkinson, Head of Manufacturing on 07764 625 666. lloydsbank.com/manufacturing
Any property given as security which may include your home, may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or other debts secured on it. All lending is subject to a satisfactory credit assessment. Lloyds Bank plc is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under Registration Number 119278. We subscribe to The Lending Code; copies of the Code can be obtained from www.lendingstandardsboard.org.uk Proud sponsors of:
ABOUT US
Meet the team Nick Hussey Managing Director
Callum Bentley Editor
Nick has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry spanning titles in the UK, US, Asia and Australia. In addition to his commercial experience Nick has also worked in government, spending a year as managing director of Manufacturing Insight, a programme aimed at changing the image of manufacturing among young people. He holds several non-executive directorships and is a founder member of the IET’s Manufacturing Policy Panel. n.hussey@hennikgroup.com
Callum joined Hennik Research in 2013 as editor of ’s sister publication, the Lean Management Journal, before taking over as Editor of in June. He has a background in news for web and print, working for major regional news organisations in Australia. Callum has a passion for the automotive and aerospace sectors. c.bentley@hennikgroup.com
Federico recently joined Hennik Research after having spent two years working as a producer, presenter and editor for international media outlets’ online and mobile platforms. With a background in international news, business and tech, he is responsible for The Manufacturer’s multimedia production and is passionate about the food and drink industry. f.ercoli@hennikgroup.com
Henry is responsible for Hennik Research’s commercial activities, developing new concepts and products for ’s readership. Henry is keen to build a bridge between the manufacturing community and the service sector which supports it. h.anson@hennikgroup.com
Eva Lindsay Event Production Manager Eva joined in 2012 having worked in the events industry for four years across a number of sectors, with her primary focus on defence. Drawing on her broad experience, Eva will be heading up the event content team and helping to grow and develop the event programme, with special focus on the company’s popular Factory Tours. e.lindsay@hennikgroup.com
Victoria joined Hennik Research in January 2014 as editor of the Lean Management Journal after spending three years in New York City as a news journalist for an international online news organisation. She recently moved on as features editor to deptuy editor of , where her focus has turned to producing the magazine, as well as, writing content. Victoria has a passion for industrial policy, apprenticeships, education and initiatives driving the future of UK manufacturing. v.fitzgerald@hennikgroup.com
Jonny Williamson Web Editor Jonny joined having spent the past three years working as a print and online features journalist for global media outlets covering manufacturing, commercial aerospace and business leadership. Jonny is responsible for boosting and updating ’s online presence with a strong focus on community engagement. j.williamson@hennikgroup.com
info@hennikgroup.com www.hennikgroup.com
Contributing Editor Ruari McCallion r.j.mccallion@btinternet.com
Reporter Andrew Putwain a.putwain@hennikgroup.com
Art Director Martin Mitchell martin@opticjuice.co.uk
Designer Alex Cole alex@opticjuice.co.uk
Sales and Events
Operations Manager Grace Gilling g.gilling@hennikgroup.com
Project Director Matt Chilton m.chilton@hennikgroup.com
Sales Manager Sarah Hough
ISSN 1477-3201 Copyright © Hennik Research 2011 The Manufacturer is independently audited by:
Marketing Director Kate Birinder k.birinder@hennikgroup.com
Telesales Manager Deborah Sowman d.sowman@hennikgroup.com
Awards Manager Laura Williams l.williams@hennikgroup.com
In order to receive your monthly copy of kindly email subscriptions@hennikgroup.com, telephone 0207 401 6033 or write to the address below. Neither The Manufacturer nor Hennik Research can accept responsibilty for omissions or errors. Terms and Conditions Please note that points of view expressed in articles by contributing writers and in advertisements included in this journal do not necessarily represent those of the publishers. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in the journal, no legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising from use of information published. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent of the publishers.
The Manufacturer in partnership with EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation. Working together to secure the future of manufacturing.
4
malcolm@malcolmwheatley.co.uk
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Henry Anson Sales Director
Elizabeth House, Block 2, Part 5th Floor, 39 York Road, London, SE1 7NQ Tel: +44 (0)207 401 6033 Fax: +44 (0)844 854 1010
IT Editor Malcolm Wheatley
Design
Victoria Fitzgerald Deputy Editor
Federico Ercoli Industry Editor
Editorial
EEF is dedicated to the future of manufacturing. Everything we do is designed to help modern manufacturing businesses evolve, innovate and compete in a fast-changing world. www.eef.org.uk
The Manufacturer is working collaboratively to drive innovation and manufacturing excellence in the UK. Our partnerships with leading industrial research centres, further education providers and trade bodies is an important part of this and is distributed directly to the alumni and membership of the following organisations:
Cranfield University EEF Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge
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July/August 2015
08 News and regular columns A summary of manufacturing news and events with commentary on industrial research and policy 24 Out & About visits both BAE Systems’ munitions factory in Radway Green and its marine sites in Glasgow, as well as, Birminghambased presswork and stamping company, Brandauer 30 Best of Online What you wanted to read most about ’s June website 32 Hot Topic: Northern exposure Victoria Fitzgerald explores the concept of the Northern Powerhouse and how it is set to affect the UK manufacturing sector 40 Sector Focus: Fighting fit Ruari McCallion investigates the prowess of the UK’s defence sector 46 Interview: Future flight ’s editor Callum Bentley catches up with Iain Gray about his return to the aerospace sector after seven years heading up Innovate UK 50 60 second interview Mick Ord, managing director of BAE Systems Naval Ships, discusses the firm’s latest project at its site in Scotstoun, Glasgow
PILLAR FEATURES Manufacturing Leadership 52 Learn to lean: Lean Management Journal editor Andrew Putwain highlights some of the articles from the latest edition of the LMJ which focuses on lean in the civil service 56 Responsible business: Global and industrial director at Unipart, Bernard Molloy, advises how to become more competitive through corporate responsibility
Workforce & Skills 58 Employee of the Month: Nick Lacey, Engineering Apprentice, Burton’s Biscuit Company 59 Snapshots: ElringKlinger introduces its brightest, young spark breaking the mould at the drive systems component manufacturer
Supply Chain 60 Blazing the trail: ICW’s Margaret Wood navigates the twists and turns of the manufacturing supply chain
6 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
CONTENTS
Manufacturing Services 62 Urban myth or reality: Nick Frank of Frank Partners discusses why it is the complexity of the customer’s value chain that opens up opportunity for service-based business models
Manufacturing Technologies 66 Rising to the challenge: Jonny Williamson visited the Isle of Man to witness the innovations driving a TT Zero Challenge-winning, electric-powered motorcycle 70 Defence of the future: The University of Birmingham reveals how it is progressing procedures in defence technologies
IT in Manufacturing 72 Electric lines: IT contributing editor Malcolm Wheatley highlights how the electronics industry is compelling ERP vendors to evolve traditional MRPI and MRPII 76 Talk of the Industry: Terry Scuoler asks whether the future economy is being protected by Government spending priorities
NEWS www.themanufacturer.com/news
MANUFACTURING NEWS
SPECIAL FOCUS PARIS AIR SHOW 2015 Airbus posted £36bn worth of orders, comfortably ahead of its US rival, Boeing (image courtesy of Adrien Daste)
The much-anticipated 51st International Paris Air Show took place this June, showcasing the world’s aircraft, aerospace and military industries. As has been the case for previous years, the battle between the two biggest plane makers dominated headlines, with Airbus emerging victorious this year.
T
he aerospace giant posted £36bn worth of order and commitments representing 421 aircraft; comfortably ahead of its US rival, Boeing, which agreed orders and commitments for 331 planes worth £31.5bn. Despite some meagre predictions for the show from analysts, the total number of aircraft ordered exceeded expectations, with a total of 752 plane orders – 55 more than the total ordered at the Farnborough Air Show last year. However, the total order value of the orders dropped by £5.3m compared to 2014. In the widebody market, Airbus
kicked-off proceedings by announcing Saudi Arabian Airlines as the first operator for its new A330 Regional. The A350XWB continued to attract new business, with commitments for more than 30 A350900s reinforcing its position as the world’s most advanced widebody aircraft. In the single-aisle sector, the popular A320 Family garnered an impressive 366 endorsements, comprising 103 firm orders and 263 commitments. Of the 366, 323 were for A320neos, taking the aircraft’s family total beyond 4,000 since being launched in December 2010. However Airbus didn’t have everything its way, having failed to attract a single order for its double-decker A380 – a drought which has progressed from months to years. For Boeing, the most significant deal came from AerCap – the world’s largest aircraft leasing company, with the Dutch firm placing an order for 100 737 MAX 8s.
8 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
Paris Air Show 2015 at a glance: Attendance – 149,947 Professionals & 201,637 General Public Exhibitors – 2,303 from 48 Countries Aircraft – 130 Official Delegations – 296 from 91 Countries Total Orders: £82.7bn 934 Commercial Airliners Airbus: 421 Aircraft – Boeing: 331 Aircraft CFMI Engines - 835 Helicopters – 52 (Airbus) Micro Satellites – 900 (Airbus Defence & Space) With Qatar Airways the only Middle Eastern airline placing an order – for 10 777-8Xs and four 777s, Boeing fared much better from Asian carriers. Chinese low-cost airline Ruili Airlines and Korean Air, for example, both announced commitments to purchase 30 737 MAX aircraft each. The marque’s flagship wide-body aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner attracted further interest. Ethiopian Airlines announced an order for six 787-8s and Garuda Indonesia made a commitment to buy 30 787-9s. Ethiopian Airlines’ 787-8s will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, including long-term TotalCare support, in a contract worth more than £300m. The decision marks a significant vote of confidence in the engine, with Ethiopian having previously selected engines from another manufacturer to power 13 Dreamliners. Dunlop Aircraft Tyres celebrated after announcing that it had been selected to provide tyres for an all new turboprop regional airliner being developed by Chinese manufacturer, AVIC Aircraft Xi’an Branch, as well as clinching a three-year deal to support Garuda Indonesia’s fleet of regional jets. There were notably fewer defence companies in attendance in Paris this year, with BAE Systems; Eurofighter; Northrop Grumman, and Saab all reportedly choosing to focus on smaller shows closer to their customer-base.
The Manufacturer magazine in conjunction with the leading automation equipment suppliers has established The Automation Advisory Board to educate owner-managers and factory directors about what automation equipment can do and the benefits it can bring to UK manufacturers.
For more information contact Henry Anson, Managing Director, The Manufacturer E: h.anson@hennikgroup.com T: +44 (0)20 7401 6033
Automation needs to rise to the 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. This year it is a business risk not to be informed about the benefits this technology can bring.
bit.ly/AABautomation The Automation Advisory Board is proudly supported by:
NEWS www.themanufacturer.com/news
MANUFACTURING NEWS
INVESTMENT
Driving support for West Midlands automotive supply chain. A new initiative designed to attract more investment into the West Midland’s thriving automotive sector has been launched. Run by inward investment agency, Marketing Birmingham, and UKTI, with support from local partners, the programme aims to help fill the estimated £4bn sourcing gap in Britain’s automotive industry – and bring new highly skilled jobs to the West Midlands. Just a third (3035%) of components for UK vehicles are made in the country. With national vehicle production expected to increase from 1.5 million in 2014 to more than 2 million by 2018, there’s huge potential for companies in local supply chains. bit. ly/DriveWestMidlands
The survey shows manufacturers’ investment in the latest machinery has grown rapidly in recent years to keep up with rising demand and to make good on past cutbacks
INVESTMENT
Investment, the key to unlocking productivity woes. Britain’s manufacturers are planning to invest across a range of areas in the coming two years in an effort to boost productivity, according to a survey by EEF and Lombard Asset Finance. The findings show investment in the latest machinery has grown rapidly in recent years to keep up with rising demand and to make good on past cutbacks. The research shows further investment in machinery and equipment to come, but at a slower pace – reflecting a switch in focus to ‘intangibles’ such as recruitment; training; R&D; software, and marketing in order to derive a competitive advantage. bit.ly/ProductivityWoes
APPRENTICESHIPS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Scientists to begin manufacturing artificial blood. Researchers from Bristol University have announced plans to commence human trails of labmanufactured red blood cells in 2017 on a group of 20 volunteers. Up until now this technology has only been tested on rats. Developed in association The new manufactured blood could help allieviate critically low blood supplies (image courtesy of NHSBT) with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), this new development in the quest for an alternative to donated blood comes at a critical time for the health community. Rates of blood donation have seen steep declines over the past decade, and the search is on for a more reliable alternative to avoid shortages. bit.ly/ManufacturingArtificialBlood
10 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
UK hits apprenticeship target. The Government has confirmed that it has reached its target of supporting 20,000 higher apprenticeships over the past two years. With the target announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his Autumn Statement 2013, the figures show since the start of the academic year 2013/2014, more than 22,000 higher apprenticeships have already been supported. There has also been strong growth in traineeships, with more than 15,000 having started in the first three quarters of this academic year. The Government has said that it is committed to supporting a further 3 million apprenticeship starts by 2020. bit.ly/ ApprenticeshipsTarget
IT’S NOT JUST A PAIR OF GLOVES
We’ve been in the safety business for over 130 years. In that time, we’ve learned that it’s not just safety gear. It’s protecting people from injuries, allowing them to continue living life to the full.
arco.co.uk/experts
NEWS www.themanufacturer.com/news
THE FUTURE OF MAKING THINGS
The Manufacturer and Autodesk are excited to announce a joint initiative that will explore and promote The Future of Making Things. We are on the brink of the biggest change in how we make things since the industrial revolution. Out of this disruption, a new future of making things is emerging, and more than any other 3D design software company, Autodesk intends to lead its manufacturing customers into this future. Manufacturing is changing at an incredible pace. The future is being re-written every day and huge disruptive changes – from crowdfunding to digital fabrication to cloudbased engineering software – are upon us. The initiative will incorporate several events, membership of steering group the Manufacturing Service Thought Leadership Network, involvement in The Manufacturer Top 100 2015, as well as, a host of web and print activity exploring the future of manufacturing in the UK.Henry Anson, managing director of Hennik Research and publishers of The Manufacturer, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be announcing this joint venture as both parties believe that British manufacturing has a tremendously vibrant and exciting future.
Featuring a plethora of distinctive finishing touches, the ‘Defender 2,000,000’ is a fitting tribute to almost seven decades of Land Rover production in the Solihull plant
COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENTS
One-of-a-kind Defender marks Land Rover milestone. Celebrating almost seven decades of iconic Land Rover production, a unique vehicle has been built to commemorate the UK manufacture of the two-millionth Series Land Rover and Defender. A bespoke design and an all-star cast of special guests helped to complete the landmark build, paying tribute to 67 years of Land Rover production in the Solihull plant. This December, collectors and Defender fans will be given the opportunity to own the one-off piece of automotive history when it is auctioned, with all proceeds being donated to the firm’s humanitarian and conservation partners. bit.ly/LandRoverMilestone
The Future of Making Things Must know Manufacturing Trends T* EN V EE FRE
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12 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
24/06/2015 17:33
MANUFACTURING NEWS
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY SEPTEMBER Exhibit at DSEI 2015 with NDI: London
15
Fairbairn will take over from John Cridland – who has led the CBI since January 2011 – in November
COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Carolyn Fairbairn named as next CBI director-general. The former director of strategy at both the BBC and ITV will take over from current director-general, John Cridland in November. Fairbairn currently holds a number of non-executive positions including with global outsourcer Capita; small cap manufacturer Vitec; Lloyds Banking Group; the Competition and Markets Authority, and the UK Statistics Authority. With the debate around Britain’s relationship with the EU and the productivity challenge facing our economy likely to be two of the defining issues of the next few years, Fairbairn commented that she was looking forward to representing the voice of British businesses of all sizes on these questions and many others. bit.ly/CarolynFairbairn
TECHNOLOGY
Nuclear AMRC now offers bulk additive manufacturing capabilities. Like a heavy-duty version of the now-familiar 3D printer, the £1m automated bulk additive manufacturing cell – built by KUKA Robotics – can build high-integrity, near-net shape parts from the ground up, and add metal features to large forgings. Funded by the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, the cell features a sixaxis KUKA robot arm, mounted on a three-axis gantry. The robot will work directly from a CAD model to lay down weld material to create 3D geometries, and is able to carry a selection of end effectors, allowing the team to investigate a range of arc and power beam welding technologies. bit.ly/NuclearAMRCaddmfg
Taking place at Royal Victoria Dock in London DSEI 2015 will offer six seminar and briefing programmes dedicated to, land, naval, air, unmanned, security and medical & disaster relief. Through a series of panel debates, keynote sessions and live demonstrations, top level speakers from senior domestic/international military and leading industry stakeholders will share their thoughts on the latest future capabilities, technologies and innovations and procurement updates. www.eef.org.uk/business-support/seminarsand-events/dsei-2015
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Food Safety Conference: Safer food and drink from the harvest to the home: Manchester Taking place at the Lawry in Manchester, Food Manufacture’s 2015 food safety conference will take a whole supply chain look at food safety and integrity. It will investigate the latest developments to ensure food safety from the farm, through manufacture and the supply chain, to products and packaging on sale. It will also discuss what more the industry can do to reassure consumers about the safety and authenticity of the food they eat. The one-day conference is targeted at practitioners in the food and drink supply chain who are involved with food safety: from operations and technical managers to regulatory specialists; and from new product developers to food hygiene managers in manufacturing, retail and foodservice. www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Events/Food-SafetyConference-Safer-food-and-drink-from-the-harvest-to-the-home
OCTOBER The Manufacturing and Electronics Expo,
7
Kent Event Centre, Maidstone. The Manufacturing and Electronics Expo is an inspirational business-to-business show that has been designed to support and showcase everything that is great about the manufacturing and electronics sector. The event provides an environment where industry professionals can assess and compare the latest products and services for manufacturing and electronics. As well as the opportunity to see over 80 exhibitors showcasing the very latest products and services for the manufacturing and electronics sectors, the visitors can listen to keynote speakers from leading industry sectors, see demonstrations of innovative new technology and take part in technical workshops. www.manufacturingandengineeringexpo.co.uk/
NOVEMBER Advanced Engineering UK 2015: Birmingham UK
4-5
Advanced Engineering UK 2015 taking place at Birmingham’s NEC is an opportunity for the supply chain to meet with visiting engineering & procurement decision makers from OEMs and top tier organisations spanning: Aerospace; Automotive; Motorsport; Marine, Civil Engineering, and more. It is the UK’s largest free-to-attend engineering Conference programme. Whether you are a visitor or an exhibitor, Advanced Engineering will not only provide you with a business forum and supply chain showcase for your own sector, but will also introduce you to new opportunities in industries using related technologies and services. www.advancedengineeringuk.com/
July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 13
FOR THE DIARY
UPCOMING EVENTS TO SEE A FULL EVENTS LISTING PLEASE VISIT: THEMANUFACTURER.COM/ EVENTS
FACTORY TOUR: ELEKTA 23 SEPTEMBER 2015, CRAWLEY Elekta is a pioneering company in human care, manufacturing innovative solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company goes beyond just manufacturing a product and provides its customers and clients the whole package from start to finish. It is now opening its doors to provide an insight into its factory, so you can learn from a leading manufacturer about the complete journey its customers’ experience. themanufacturer.com/factory-tours #TMFactory
THE MANUFACTURER TOP 100 2015 - NOMINATION DEADLINE 31 JULY 2015 The Manufacturer Top 100 is a unique platform to showcase inspiring individuals in manufacturing. Shortlisted individuals are nominated for their contributions to leadership, altering perceptions, bold ambition in new markets and achievements disproportionate to their years.
23 SEPTEMBER 2015, BIRMINGHAM
CONNECT CRM 15 SEPTEMBER 2015, BIRMINGHAM
mstln.com #MSTLN
Connect CRM is the premier event for companies looking to enhance their knowledge on customer relationship management. The Connect CRM event will discuss both the importance of CRM, the benefit the system can bring and how best to select and implement a solution suited to your business. Connect events offer delegates the opportunity to conduct months of research in a single day. crmconnect.co.uk #CRMConnect
SUPPLY CHAIN CONNECT 8 OCTOBER 2015, LIVERPOOL A trusted supply chain is fundamental in achieving true competitiveness for UK manufacturers. Supply Chain Connect brings the large players to you and offers one-on-one meetings with companies in the Liverpool area that are already committed to securing a localised supply base. themanufacturer.com/supply-chainconnect-liverpool/ #supplychainconnect
14 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
OCTOBER 2015, ANSTY PARK, COVENTRY Workforce flexibility is shaping the way manufacturers manage their human capital to maximise their ROI. The conference will bring together SMEs and larger businesses to discuss how to achieve and sustain workforce flexibility, productivity, retention and of the constantly widening skills gap. events@hennikgroup.com #TMNSC
MSTLN ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The goal of the Manufacturing Services Thought Leadership Network (MSTLN) is to raise awareness within UK manufacturing, that ensuring long term success requires companies to increasingly focus on creating value in the customers’ business. 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 all of who will come together for the annual conference to impart knowledge and help raise awareness of the benefits of manufacturing services.
themanufacturer.com/themanufacturer-top-100 #TOP100
THE MANUFACTURER’S NATIONAL SKILLS CONFERENCE FLEXIBLE WORKFORCE
FACTORY TOUR: PHILIPS AVENT 22 OCTOBER 2015, SUFFOLK Philips AVENT, a company based in Sudbury, Suffolk, are leading manufacturers of baby bottles, breast pumps, and other parenting, baby feeding and health accessories. Since 1984, AVENT have been designing and manufacturing products which have been developed through extensive research and clinical trials. It is now opening its doors to provide an insight into its factory, so you can learn from a leading manufacturer about the complete journey their customers’ experience. themanufacturer.com/ factory-tours/ #TMFactory
Connect with our events team on twitter: @YourTMEvents. For general enquiries or to book your place, email events@hennikgroup.com or call us on 020 7401 6033 (Opt 3), stating which event you would like to attend and your contact details.
Connect CRM 15 September 2015 | Birmingham
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MATT GARLICK AND EMMA GILLIGAN
Constant Group
Matt Garlick and Emma Gilligan will replace Richard Garlick at aluminium sheet metal manufacturer, Constant Group, formerly Constant Aluminium Supplies Ltd, as managing directors. Garlick (Richard), who is the pair’s father, still remains hands-on in the business as chairman. Garlick (Matt)
ANNETTE DOYLE
TRUMPF Limited
From July 1, Annette Doyle will take on the role of managing director of TRUMPF Ltd. She succeeds Scott Simpson who will leave TRUMPF after more than 20 years to pursue his own individual projects. Doyle comes
MARTIN JONES
to TRUMPF Ltd from TRUMPF Inc. in Farmington, US where she served as head of Customer Training Centre and as assembly department manager for TRUMPF’s TruLaser machines. Her department manufactures 350 machines
a year and her production planning and lean manufacturing initiatives have enabled the company to increase production and quality goals during the economic rebound.
Chinese owned UK plant and the new operations in both North and South China. He has been with Covpress since 2003 and has played an increasing role since the take-over in July 2013. Announcing the promotion Kit Halliday, joint CEO of Covpress Limited said: “I am delighted he
has received this well-earned promotion and we are both excited about continuing this amazing expansion story in such a short time. We will be creating even more jobs in the near future but right now the focus is on Canley and the two business elements in China.”
business development. Prior to joining the Accutronics board of directors, Lamb built up a highly credible reputation as MD, CEO and chairman of a number of other companies, and brings with him an extensive amount of knowledge and
expertise. Lamb began his career in manufacturing before moving into the IT sector with the advent of 3D CAD/CAM systems in the early 1980s.
increase the productivity of its expanding business. The organisation has appointed Thomas Kiefer as the latest member of its expanding international team. With extensive knowledge and expertise in
vehicle engineering Thomas Kiefer will be instrumental in growing Millbrook’s European customer base.
Covpress
Covpress has promoted Martin Jones to group managing director to help oversee its rapid expansion over the last two years in both the UK and China. Jones, aged 52, has been plant director of the metal pressings company in Coventry but will now split his time between the
STEVE LAMB
said: “We’re proud to have flourished this year, with the installation of a new state-of-the-art Trumpf CNC punching machine expanding our capacity, alongside a new 7.5 tonne Fuso Wagon to our fleet. Our new truck makes us a three strong fleet with a collective load ability of 13 tonnes.”
Accutronics
International battery manufacturer Accutronics has appointed Steve Lamb as its new chairman. The addition to the management team will allow the company’s managing director, Rob Phillips, to focus his efforts on new
THOMAS KIEFER
Millbrook
Millbrook, vehicle test, validation and engineering service provider, has made a number of changes to its leadership team, with the aim to drive forward change, improve customer service and
Arnaud Boulanger, Kirsty Andrew and Carl Field, Millbrook
Arnaud Boulanger joined Millbrook on July 6th as COO of Test and Engineering, reporting to the CEO. Boulanger has an MSc in Production and Mechanical Design. He has spent the bulk of his career at Renault Sport, in France and in
16 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
the UK, initially as a Test Engineer before moving through various roles including head of Process Engineering and Reliability. Kirsty Andrew has been appointed general manager of Special Vehicles, reporting to the CEO, with immediate effect. Andrew is now responsible for Vehicle Conversions, Armoured Vehicles and Special
Projects. In addition, Carl Field, has accepted the role of director of Vehicle Conversions. Field has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in engineering, production and supply chain processes in vehicle conversions and will utilise his many networks to expand Millbrook’s business within these areas.
To notify The Manufacturer of your company’s appointments, please contact Victoria Fitzgerald at: v.fitzgerald@hennikgroup.com or: 0207 401 6033
DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE INSPIRATIONAL IN MANUFACTURING? DEADLINE DATE FOR ENTRY IS JULY 31st Nominate them in 200 words or less at: THEMANUFACTURER.COM/TOP100 or email: top100@hennikgroup.com For further information contact v.fitzgerald@hennikgroup.com
Tweet about who inspires you #TMTOP100
The Manufacturer Top 100 nominee must represent one or more of the criteria: An inspirational leader: an inspiring leader who has created wealth for and created stable employment at a UK-based manufacturing firm, while remaining committed to investing in developing the value of their manufacturing business through people, processes and technology.
Bold investor in new markets: someone who has been courageous in finding new markets, increased revenue by venturing oversea and helped reshape one or multiple markets by proving a new and competitive business model involving UK manufacturing. The young pioneer: a person who has made an impact disproportionate to their years, providing inspiration for the future of manufacturing in the UK.
Driver of cultural change: an individual who has helped to alter popular perceptions about manufacturing locally or nationally, inspiring young people, women and minority groups or has influenced government to help make conditions better for manufacturing in the UK.
Partners
LEGALLY MINDED & DIGITALLY MADE
LEGALLY MINDED.
Foolproof collaboration
W
ithin the high cost, specialist skill set environment that high value manufacturers operate, the decision to work in collaboration with one or more parties on a commercial project is often a wise one. To ensure that collaboration doesn’t degenerate into confrontation, a collaboration agreement will need to be put in place to record what each party has agreed to bring to the collaboration. Below, are several key matters an organisation should consider when entering such an arrangement. To manage all parties’ expectations, the agreement must address in sufficient detail, the scope of the collaboration; whether it will be for the purpose of research only, or for research and development, or for research development and exploitation, the aims, objectives and methodology of the project, the parties’ responsibilities and contributions in terms of materials, machinery, services, labour and funds and how the project will be managed. The parties should consider whether they are bringing any of their own intellectual property to the agreement and the extent to which this will be made available to the other party/parties for the purposes of the project. Who will own or be able to exploit any intellectual property created in any results generated by the project? Where the parties will be disclosing commercially sensitive information, for example through publication of results, the agreement must contain a confidentiality clause tailored to protect that information; either indefinitely or for a definite period after the project has ended. Whilst
there may be a temptation to draft a confidentiality clause treating all information disclosed as confidential, this is likely to be unenforceable so should be avoided. The parties may include specific warranties, for example that their work during the project will be of a satisfactory quality. The nature of the project will determine what, if any warranties should be provided, and the parties should take great care to ensure they can provide the level of assurance offered by any warranties given. With the best will in the world, it is not always possible to prevent problems from arising under an agreement. Occasionally, these will result in loss or damage to one of the parties or even a third party to whom that party is liable. To address this problem, the parties will often decide to include an indemnity clause in the agreement, whereby they agree to indemnify each other for a loss suffered by them or that caused to a third party. If this route is chosen, it is prudent to consider applying a cap to limit liability for any direct loss, or to exclude liability altogether for any indirect loss. An ability to terminate the agreement early is often valuable. Ensure the termination clause is drafted to reflect the project and the nature of the collaboration. If multiple projects are to be performed under one agreement, the parties may wish to allow themselves the flexibility to terminate a single project rather than the whole agreement, allowing other projects under the agreement to continue. As with all relationships, the key to minimising the scope for dispute is open communication at the outset of collaboration discussions. Prepare a list of non-negotiables and ensure they are properly reflected in the collaboration agreement.
DIGITALLY MADE.
The data People
H
ave you noticed that your customers are more informed about your brand and products? Most are at the stage where they don’t require intervention by your sales staff as they would have conducted due diligence well in advance before coming into contact. Today’s connected customers are fully in control of the buying cycle, driven in part by the rise of digital, which gives both parties a distinct advantage. The new shift to an empowered customer means in reality, these days manufacturers have to compete quite fiercely for the attention of customers. When manufacturing operations span the globe this can actually begin to get quite expensive. Digital’s rise does present a challenge as to how manufacturers can deliver the best experiences for their customers and the key to it all is the data they hold and how it is utilised. So while the opportunity is there to develop a more personalised view of the customer, don’t allow your data to get siloed, instead strive for a seamless end to end solution where all your assets integrate to provide that 360 degree view. Learn to leverage machine data and use it to develop bespoke, actionable customer care and service. In my last article I touched on CRMs. Today’s tools can digitise marketing campaigns, support existing workflows and measure and optimise various campaigns. Going forward manufacturers will have to learn how to harness intelligent platforms that can analyse large scale data and redistribute it throughout the business to assure long term customer satisfaction. The good news is your digital interactions will provide you with the opportunity to develop meaningful long term customer relationships.
July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 19
Letters to the editor
PRODUCTION LINES
Letters to the Editor
I
TONY HAGUE CHAIRMAN OF THE MIDLANDS ASSEMBLY NETWORK
think most of us in industry are a bit tired of economists pontificating on the root causes of the ‘Productivity Puzzle’ and giving us their verdicts on how we can embrace the missing pieces of the jigsaw. Many run off a long list of excuses and, to be fair, a few of them probably ring true with some companies. As chairman of the Midlands Assembly Network, I have the great privilege of meeting regularly with eight managing directors of sub-contract manufacturers and the boss of a multiseat design agency. In every company, the attitude is the same when it comes to increasing productivity. The good news is that every last one of us wants to do things better and achieve more output from the input our workers are putting in. We are also agreed that the only way to eradicate the puzzle is to take things into our own hands and control our destiny. Manufacturers can’t exclusively lay the blame on the feet of a meddling Government. Sure, there are things that can be done better, but additional support on its own can only deliver so much bottom line benefit. So what is holding us back? I think the general rule is that SMEs have always considered themselves as not being suitable for new technology and
20 www.themanufacturer.com | June 2015 | Issue 5| Volume 18
Too often poor business plans result in a ‘no’ from the bank and rightly so. Yet industry sees this as a lack of backing for manufacturing
automation. ‘It’s something the big boys do, why do we even need to think about it?’ This has been an easy excuse for a long-term lack of investment in new machinery and the workforce - one that is now coming back to bite and bite hard. Years of slow spending has seen a lot of international rivals take over us and only now are we beginning to see big support bodies, such as the Manufacturing Advisory Service and EEF, cite encouraging research that industry is finally beginning to release the financial restraints. One of the biggest first battles is between the MD and the Financial Director. The former needs to convince the latter that the ‘spend’ is going to change the way the business works and payback will be there in both the shortterm and the long-term. If you can overcome this hurdle then it’s a case of trying to convince your funding source (often the bank manager) that you have a solid business case for the loan you need to buy that new laser cutter or CNC machining centre. And manufacturers don’t help themselves here. Too often poor business plans result in a ‘no’ from the bank and rightly so. Yet industry sees this as a lack of backing for manufacturing. From what we are seeing the banks are trying to understand our sector more,
just take the specialist training Lloyds Bank have instructed Warwick Manufacturing Group to carry out for them. The other big area to address is that productivity can’t just be achieved by buying a shiny new piece of kit. That’s important, but it only works well if you invest in the other elements of your business, most noticeably your workforce. Get young people involved through apprenticeships, upskill your existing staff so they deliver more and embrace leadership and management support though the Business Growth Service. To get the maximum productivity gains there has to be balance between the two and the common thinking suggests that if we actually get this balance right, we could find the key for unlocking the ‘Productivity Puzzle’ for the next generation to come.
What’s your relationship with ERP?
Engaged Still Looking
It’s Inspiring In a Relationship It’s Complicated
ERP should inspire your business, not complicate it. Update your status. Epicor ERP is built to bring out the best in you and your business. www.epicor.com/uk/compatibility
Questions? Contact us at: Phone 01344 468 468 E-mail ukmarketing@epicor.com Copyright © 2014. Epicor Software Corporation. Epicor, the Epicor logo, and Business Inspired are registered trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation.
Up to speed
This month, BLOODHOUND’s Conor La Grue explains why watching paint dry on a supersonic car is anything but boring.
D
uring the last few days of May progress on BLOODHOUND SSC took another leap forward. This time it was cosmetic, but that speaks volumes about the stage we have now reached in the build. The monocoque has been evolving over a very long time, but now it was time to finally get it painted. Thanks to 3M we had access to a state-of-the-art spray booth at 3M’s training and development centre at Atherstone. And thanks to Akzo Nobel we are using the very latest technology in aerospace coatings – all expertly applied by Simon Evans of Paint by Simon. In the next few weeks all the rest of the big bits of car will get painted. For any aircraft or car build, seeing what you’ve designed and constructed with colour on it is a great moment – it changes your view entirely and signals the start of a new stage in the build.
BLOODHOUND
Planning the final assembly
As we start to plan the final assembly stage, the last few key parts of the suspension are nearing completion. The most dramatic of these are the rear uprights, which are some of the most complex machined parts we have had made, with a huge number of features held to very tight tolerances. The first of these uprights will shortly be shipped to us and we can then start to work towards getting the car onto its wheels for the first time. That will mean we will soon be lifting the car off the surface table and starting the final build on very special axle stands on the floor of the workshop.
High performance, lightweight paint
The Akzo Nobel paint is the very latest in super performing aerospace coatings, which is able to meet the challenge of big variations in temperature and pressure as well as being very, very tough. And it’s ultra-lightweight too. It’s going to be interesting to see just how tough the paint actually is – there is no more challenging application than BLOODHOUND to test our partners’ products! The monocoque receiving its livery of blue and orange in a state-of-the-art spray booth at 3M’s training and development centre at Atherstone.
BLOODHOUND is being painted using the very latest technology in aerospace coatings
Bringing up the rear
The rear delta has also progressed quickly during May, with Terry from BLOODHOUND and Royal Air Force 71 Squadron again showing us just how skilled they are by quickly getting both delta assemblies to the stage that we could offer them up to the back of the car. People often ask what keeps the car on the ground. Ultimately, it’s all about managing shock waves and no car part works harder to accomplish that than the rear delta. So it’s nice to see all these parts come together and be right first time.
Fitting out the Car
Once the big bits are finished they can be populated with all the gear that brings the car to life. The good news is that the fin and the delta are close to their final build stage and then the control systems team will have access to populate them with all manner of sensors and looms. It’s fantastic – if slightly unbelievable – that they will effectively be completed before the end of June.
22 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
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’s editorial team is out and about at a wide variety of industry conferences, debates and factory tours month in, month out. Let’s get a snapshot of the most interesting trips in June.
Shipping up to Glasgow Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, operates the laser cutting machine
I
The production of BAE Systems’ second Offshore Patrol Vessel has begun and Federico Ercoli flew to Glasgow to see it.
t was 16 degrees and sunny. BBC Weather could not have been more reassuring than that, although, as the old saying goes, “in Scotland, one can see all four seasons in a single day”, and in the end, it was exactly like that. Luckily, the purpose of the trip was not sunbathing, the invite came from a giant. Scottish, British, European and international giant: BAE Systems,
This programme sustains jobs here directly and through the supply chain. We’ll maintain the tradition of shipbuilding here Work begins on the firm’s second Offshore Patrol Vessel
24 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
Michael Fallon Defence Secretary
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OUT AND ABOUT
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With investments in new technologies, cutting-edge processes, new ways of working and improved facilities we are transforming the way we design and build warships Mick Ord, Managing Director at BAE Systems Naval Ships
shipbuilding site, Govan, the Secretary operated an enormous plasma steelcutting machine and kick-started the production. “This programme sustains jobs here directly and through the supply chain,” Fallon said. “We’ll maintain the tradition of shipbuilding here. I spoke to somebody this morning who started working here in 1973 and I also spoke to two young apprentices, so the tradition is here, but to remain alive it has to modernise, and it has modernised. The working practices here are light years away, not just from 1973 but from even a few years ago. That’s essential if we’re to get good value for the taxpayers as well as maintaining the sovereign capability here,” Fallon added. After last year’s rumours predicted the Govan site could be up for dismantlement, BAE’s visualisation room allows 3D CAD modelling BAE Systems recently and designing announced it will instead invest more than £100m
welcomed me to witness the formal commencement of the construction of the HMS Medway, after signing a £348m contract with the Ministry of Defence last August where the firm pledged to deliver three new Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) in four years’ time. On a sunny Monday in June, Secretary of Defence, Michael Fallon, formally started the construction of the HMS MEDWAY, second of the three River Class Batch 2 vessels commissioned by the UK government. Surrounded by local authorities, Royal Navy representatives and BAE employees in historical
to improve and expand Govan and Scotstoun’s sites. Mick Ord, managing director at BAE Systems Naval Ships, said: “We are working closely with our Trade Unions, the Ministry of Defence and partners in the supply chain as we continue to build on our proud shipbuilding heritage. With investments in new technologies, cutting-edge processes, new ways of working and improved facilities we are transforming the way we design and build warships.” After the statement, I was shown the improved facilities and techniques. I was taken to the “visualisation room” to allow my non-engineering brain to understand the capacity and potential 3D solutions have brought to different processes of shipbuilding. I was shown a picture taken a few decades ago where men in suits were all gathered around blueprints, pens and pencils in hand. “That is how it used to be done,” I was told. Then I was handed 3D glasses and was shown a 3D CAD projection of the HMS FORTH on a wall. Every scrap, pipe, panel and conduit could be moved, modified, deleted and replaced on the go like we were operating on the steel ourselves. Only, we weren’t. “This is how we do it now,” the same gentleman said. The demonstration left no room for scepticism, Mick Ord meant every word and I had proof. Sitting in the taxi and drawing away from the site, the sun decided its cameo had lasted long enough to show BAE’s latest accomplishment under the best light. And it did. Watch the video here bit.ly/1f5pdoN
July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 25
OUT AND ABOUT
Trooping R the colour Victoria Fitzgerald travels to BAE Systems’ Radway Green munitions factory in Crewe for an update on the transformation part of a £206m investment to create a centre of excellence in the UK.
The site has the capacity to produce one million rounds of SAA per day and up to 25 rounds per second.
adway Green has been manufacturing small arms ammunition (SAA) for 75 years. On July 31 1940, the site, formerly known as Royal Ordnance Factory No.13, became operational following the Ministry of Supply’s (now the MoD) close monitoring of the imminent threat posed by Germany in the previous year. At that time Radway Green concentrated mainly .303 rounds for the Lee Enfield rifle, the British army’s standard rifle from 1895 to 1957. Fast forward to 2008, when BAE Systems signed the MASS Partnering Agreement and the transformation of the BAE Systems munitions business began, and what a transformation. Head of communications at BAE Systems, Andy Mann, picks me up from Crewe train station and we drive less than 20 minutes through the flourishing Crewe countryside. We arrive at the sprawling site and it’s clear from the outset that security and safety are key. Mann explains as we drive around the site that when you are manufacturing explosives safety is paramount, and as we draw towards the main reception the number of incidents stands like a beacon for all to see, and the number is negligible. Touring the site, it is abundantly clear the evolution from old to new, Mann explains, “The footprint of Radway Green site will be reduced by 47%, but capacity will be increased by 50%.” I am taken through to the shopfloor, a 23,000m2 purpose designed building containing over £45M of new and refurbished plant, visually the factory is clean and linear and the factory manager explains that since the new installation, the workflow has become positively undeviating and seamless.
The base of each bullet produced at the site is marked with “RD” for Radway Green
26 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
Following the factory tour I have a chance to sit down with Phil Djali, general manager at the site to discuss the changing landscape of defence and the manufacture of munitions, particularly in light of Army 2020, which could reduce the British army’s overall troop level to 50,000 soldiers, the lowest it has been for 250 years. In spite of this Djali is positive saying that the industry has had to change its strategy in particular skills and exports, he explains, “BAE Systems has seized the opportunity to use the skills of the staff and the plant’s new capabilities to secure a number of exports orders. “The MoD remains our largest customer, but now roughly 34% of what Radway Green manufactures is exported.” The fighting spirit of the site is bolstered by how family orientated it is, Djali lists the seeds of different families that have blossomed at Radway Green, explaining how individuals have met at the plant, married and had children that work there and now grandchildren that are forming the future of the plant. The history of the site is awe-inspiring and towards the end of our chat, Djali reaches under his desk and produces an antiquated ledger, he opens it and proudly slides it across the desk to me, pointing at a name and saying “Whose name is this?” I scan the lines of cursive script and come to the name Clementine Churchill. It’s quite overwhelming to think that I was touching the same page Baroness Spencer-Churchill had more than 70 years ago, but it helps to make me understand how the rich history of the place gives strength to a firm moving forward through uncertain times. Watch the video here bit.ly/1f5pdoN
Radway Green currently manufactures 5.56mm 7.62mm, in ball, tracers and blank forms
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Pressing on ‘‘T
he outside is deceiving, wait until you see the inside,” I was told by the PR representative that picked me up in Birmingham and drove me to Brandauer. “The look might not suggest it, but Brandauer is on top of its game on an international level,” he added. Entering the facilities of a metal components manufacturer probably never created such high expectations. Although, it only took me a few minutes and a few glances to realise the particulars were all there. The 45,000sq ft factory is the opposite of what one expects to find when dealing
Federico Ercoli visits Midlands’ manufacturer, Brandauer, to learn about its practices.
Boss Crozier has put a five-year plan in place to boost growth and productivity at the firm
75% of what we manufacture is exported and that’s increasing. We’ll probably be at 80% at the end of next year Rowan Crozier, CEO, Brandauer
with a global presswork and stamping company. Clean, tidy, well lit and efficiently organised. More than lean philosophy is probably a necessary modus operandi due to the high number of parts the firm is commissioned. “We are globally competitive. We have been supplying China with four million parts a week for the last 10 years and continue to do so,” Rowan Crozier, CEO at Brandauer explains. “75% of what we manufacture is exported and that’s increasing. We are probably going to be at 80% at the end of next year,” he added. Like many other manufacturers, reshoring at Brandauer is considered a crucial issue. “We are winning more business off-shore than in the UK at the
28 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
Brandauer is tackling the skills gap head on with its investment in people
moment, but the most recent contract, in regards to re-shoring, is a cable conduit connector, which is a telecoms application that we supply to four different countries: China, India, Mexico and Eastern Europe,” Crozier said. With the recently introduced Special Products Division (SPD), Crozier, who took the reins as CEO last September, intended to reduce time-to-market pressures, open the door to new staff
and boost productivity. “I put in a five year plan. Part of that was to fix a number of issues and deal head on with the skills gap. Secondly, to grow this business and double its size over the next five years by difersifying, offering new capabilities and potentially developing a product that is Brandauer branded,” he said. And with Crozier’s fearless can-do attitude it looks like, for Brandauer, growth is there for the taking.
OUT AND ABOUT
Forging the future
After a £1m investment, Kimber Drop Forgings has consistently enhanced its production capabilities. Federico Ercoli reports.
T
he black country has played a vital role in UK manufacturing throughout history. Its roots in metal working date back as early as the 16th century. From the civil war through the industrial revolution and the 20th century, the area has played and still plays a pivotal part in driving UK manufacturing. So, when visiting Kimber Drop Forgings, I expected tales from the past to help me understand the present and possibly learn about the future. “Kimber was founded in 1936 on a site, probably about three miles from where it is now. It was founded by Mr. Kimber, would you believe?” explains Larry Joyce, chairman of Kimber Drop Forgings. But what used to be then is no longer. Mr. Joyce told me the business has significantly changed throughout the years, “As manufacturing parts go, we make totally different parts now than what we used to back then. “We manufacture a range of pipe clamps, which are used in all sorts of applications: from NASA to deep sea, from oil rigs to facilities in desert conditions. We also manufacture for vehicles such as JCB.” Change is not the only thing that has happened to Kimber Drop Forgings lately. The company has gone through a major round of investment to develop its facilities and boost productivity. “On the site, as a total over the last two years, we spent well in excess of a £1m. We refurbished throughout, but the most important thing was the introduction of an improved production facility,” Joyce tells me. After filming the newly acquired forge in action I couldn’t help but think about Twin Peaks’ opening credits and its iconic North American, local milling factory images. Watching employees shaping metal with such imposing and powerful devices, had me wondering for a
We’ve got room on this site to expand production to double and that’s what we plan to do” - Larry Joyce, Chairman at Kimber Drop Forgings
Kimber Drop employee working on the new main forge.
few seconds, until I acknowleged I was still in Crawley Heath and not in David Lynch’s surreal tale. As a consequence of the investments Kimber Drop has also been able to re-shore some of its production to the UK. “We had several products that we had to make in Poland because of its size, but having the new facility has enabled us to pull some of that work back into the UK and provide jobs here,” he explains. The main focus for Kimber Drop Forgings is the future. Joyce said the company has room on site to expand and to
double production, “That’s what we plan to do. We’re a privately owned company, which means that we can make the decisions on how we use the profits we make, and that decision has always been to put the money back into the company to develop it and employ more people.” This boisterous enthusiasm is testament that the black country’s reputation in manufacturing is stronger than ever. Watch the video here bit.ly/1f5pdoN
The firm has invested over £1m in the last two years to improve the facility
If you would like to visit your factory or business, let us know and email the editor at c.bentley@hennikgroup.com July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 29
Tracking your top reads on www.themanufacturer.com last month
BEST OF ONLINE
Popular blog contributions last month included:
http://www.themanufacturer.com
Turning apprenticeships into long-term careers is key
What to watch on themanufacturer.com
A
The new Government has pledged to make apprenticeships a priority for its next term in office – with a promise to create three million in the next five years to address the UK’s skills gap. Darren Bowkett argues that while increasing apprenticeships is important, the sector itself needs to showcase the range of careers, training and opportunities available to retain new talent in the long-term. bit.ly/GovSkills
R&D tax relief: what do manufacturers now need to know?
fter more than three decades in the making, the latest version of the Martin Jetpack, the world’s first With almost a third of all R&D commercial jetpack, will be available next year from claims now being made by $150,000 (£95,000). manufacturers and approximately Powered by a 200hp V4 petrol £500m of relief finding its way to engine that drives two fans (rather the industry, Deloitte’s Kathie Haunton and than rockets), the latest iteration of Sarah Goodman discuss how the Martin Jetpack can fly for 30 manufacturers approach minutes at speeds of up to 74km/h. their claims and what Pilots will be able to reach costs qualify for relief. altitudes of 1,000m taking off bit.ly/MFGtax and landing vertically, meaning With rooftops, gardens and parking June,National W to sha it’s little w omen in The 3D lots are all viable launchpads. En on re the ir stor der so magineering printing The company perceives that ies. H D n ere a y people ay taking its invention won’t just be for re so revolution me o were takinplace in f the thrill seekers but will have you haven’t best. g to Twitt er potential search and rescue, heard about military and commercial applications, both manned The advent of 3D and unmanned. printing is ushering in a
Top Tw eets
Watch the video at bit.ly/JetPackMartin
30
fundamental change in the operation of manufacturing supply chains, says Antony Bourne, global manufacturing industry director at software provider IFS. bit.ly/3Dprintrev
MANUFACTURING, THE NUMBERS
looks at some of the more interesting numbers in the manufacturing news in the past month.
The number of female engineering and science technicians in the UK bit.ly/1JfP9uv
The percentage British manufacturers are forecast to increase their productivity by according to a new report by the International Festival for Business 2016 and Oxford Economics bit.ly/1Lv0JQ3
100,000
752
The total number of aircraft ordered at the Paris Air Show 2015 bit.ly/1LvLzKg
The number of children per year enjoying BLOODHOUND activities and lessons in the UK alone bit.ly/1IeV911
3 million The number of apprenticeships Government has committed to supporting by 2020 bit.ly/1fIHvMI
June 2015 | Issue 5 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 31
Northern exposure Following the general election result in May, Conservative politician and MP for Stockton South, James Wharton was appointed Minister for the Northern Powerhouse, but what exactly does this mean for UK manufacturing? Victoria Fitzgerald reports.
ANNUAL MANUFACTURING REPORT 2016
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n June 2014, Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne revealed his vision to create a unified North, with an aim to redress the North-South economic imbalance and attract investment into northern cities and towns. Osbourne went on to emphasise, that the notion was “not to rival the South, but to be its brother in arms as we fight for Britain’s share of the global economy”. A line that could probably be reused in any episode of Game of Thrones if the writers are struggling for content. Osborne explained that its creation would be facilitated by improved transport links; by backing the region’s science and universities; supporting
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creative clusters; and providing local power and control closer to the point of spending, adding that “the Northern Powerhouse can’t be built over-night. It’s a long-term plan for a country serious about its long-term economic future. It means jobs and prosperity and security for people here over future decades.” This is a noble concept and something that has emerged in conversations long before Osborne’s announcement. The BBC reported that Jim O’Neill Commercial Secretary at the Treasury and former Goldman Sachs economist suggested in February 2014 that the economies of Liverpool and Manchester should merge.
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Northern Powerhouse
So, on May 12, the PM announced via Twitter “James Wharton is the new Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Northern Powerhouse)”, which broadly speaking gives Wharton responsibility for developing infrastructure and industries in the North, as well as, acting as the supporting minister on the devolution bill. And if you’ve never heard of James Wharton before, you are guaranteed to get to know him in the near future. The 31-year-old, former backbencher won a majority of more than 5,000 in May’s general election and has represented the seat since 2010.
Criticism
As Cameron hit “Tweet” on his beloved blackberry, the Twittersphere erupted with questions from several questioning tweeters, including Yorkie Pud who wrote “@David_Cameron heard of #Leeds #Manchester and the likes but does he know anywhere else?” Or Tweeter Rosalind Ormiston who asked “@David_ Cameron @jameswhartonuk Mmm. Does #NorthernPowerhouse reach #Carlisle ?” The critics have branded the move a token gesture from a Conservative party famous for failing to look beyond its long-established monopolies in the South. Additionally, the initiative has been scolded for making Manchester the flagship of the concept. Richard Carter, leader of political party Yorkshire First, told the BBC, “What might be right for Manchester is definitely not right for Yorkshire… Trying to transplant and create a mini-London in the north is not the answer.” One particular bone of contention is the ambiguity of the term “the North”, to suggest that it is one place is problematic, in fact it is many different places with very distinct and diverse regional identities. Not only this, but another concern lies in whether a devolution of power will make the South richer and North poorer.
But how feasible is the idea and how will it impact UK manufacturing?
Despite trepidation over whether it is possible to truly unite the North (whatever your opinion of the term) the general consensus is that manufacturers have welcomed the news. Adrian Curry, managing director of Chesire-based container
glass manufacturer Encirc, told , “The North in general needs to come together. We have different business groups, we have different parts of the economy up here and I think everybody needs to push for the North in general.” As a retort to worries that the initiative may not encompass the entirety of the North, Curry notes that “we shouldn’t get too hung up on that”, he explained, “At the end of the day we are all going to be based around the larger economies and the large centres. If you draw a circle 30 minutes around Manchester, that covers quite a bit of the North West as well and the North in general. When it comes to their own patch, maybe it has to be a united front and it has to be ‘Northcentric’.” Firms existing outside the perimeter of Curry’s hypothetical circle might take a different stance on the matter. Senior business environment policy adviser at EEF, Chris Richards, even in his optimism explained that “a debate needs to take place and on whether or not” Manchester can be used as blueprint for other areas, as well as discussions on a local level in “areas such as Hull and the Humber”, he elaborated. “They used Manchester as a case study because that was the first authority, but more broadly I think there’s a focus on looking at all the combined authorities across the area,” he added Criticism aside, Richards is confident about the prospect of a Northern Powerhouse. He explained, “The main benefits are the opportunity to embed some of the core foundations for balanced growth, so things like faster, more responsible action on transport, taking some national programmes and tailoring them more closely to local needs to better use human capital and get clear leadership at a local level.” David Brimelow, managing director of Manchester-based polythene packaging manufacturer and supplier, DUO UK, is also optimistic particularly at the prospect of devolved power, telling , “Having the power to make decisions over crucial local infrastructure… means we have a real advantage in generating additional growth. “For me though, businesses can’t simply wait for politicians, whether in Westminster or locally, to take the lead, the business community itself has a real role to play. We need to work together to harness innovation and expertise,
HOT TOPIC
GVA £ millions
GVA per head
Inner London
237,356
71,162
Greater Manchester South
38,645
25,950
Leeds
20,362
26,741
Greater Manchester North
17,620
14,375
Tyneside
17,181
20,514
Sheffield
11,199
19,995
Liverpool
10,646
22,613
Bradford
8,735
16,595
Wakefield
6,470
19,623
Kingston upon Hull 4,869
18,902
York
23,483
4,754
*GVA measures the contribution to the economy of each individual producer, industry or sector in the UK Source: ONS via BBC
create something greater than the sum of its parts, and succeed in generating new prosperity for our region.” Richards echoed this, amplifying his concerns over “the business voice”, he explains, “There is a worry where this leaves the ‘business voice’. If you look at more powerful city regions, there’s a question mark about where this leaves Local Enterprise Partnerships and that’s one of the key ways that businesses are able to amplify key issues that affect manufacturing. “That is one of the concerns we have about whether the ‘business voice’ will start to diminish as business regions get more powerful.”
Manchester as a blueprint
The Northern Powerhouse has the potential to cultivate and nurture growth in all areas of the North of England. It is important that the devolution of power to Greater Manchester should act as nothing more than an example for other areas to develop plans to pursue growth at a local level. And if it seems that something is right for Manchester but not for Carlisle, support should be provided at a local level to make sure places like Carlisle can draw up plans to foster growth and productivity. The concept is not something that can be achieved over night and as Richards previously explained there are many debates required that will support and measure the success of Osborne’s best laid scheme to empower the North.
July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 33
No man is an island Jonny Williamson travels to the Isle of Man to uncover the initiatives giving local aerospace businesses added thrust.
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lying over Douglas bay it strikes me that there’s a slight juxtaposition to the Isle of Man’s (IoM) reputation. On the one hand you have an island internationally renowned for offering unique outdoor experiences, combining adventure, heritage and culture – not least of which is the annual TT races (p66), the world’s longest-running high-speed motorcycle event. The stunning landscape on display – encompassing rolling hills, picturesque farmlands, dramatic coastal scenery and
34 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
The Cluster is a partner to every major civil and military aerospace product programme in the world today Adrian Moore, Chairman, IOMAC
secluded glens – seems to be at odds with the Island’s other distinction, being a hub for high value, niche, precision engineered components. But for many, this thriving status is of little surprise as engineering is most definitely in the Manx (native islanders) blood. There are numerous examples of the Island’s rich engineering history at sites such as the world famous Great Laxey Wheel, and associated working mechanisms, which drive the pumps that once cleared the surrounding mines of water.
Isle of Man
HOT TOPIC
Current members of The Isle of Man Aerospace Cluster: Assystem (IOM) Ltd Bladon Jets Coldean Aviation Ltd Cloud Nine Ltd EBIS Engineering & Plastics Ltd Element Six Ltd European Aviation Maintenance Hamblin Recruitment Group Highland Scientific ISO QA Isle of Man Ltd Kiartys Ltd Manx Engineers Ltd Manx Precision Optics Ltd Moynihan Precision Engineering Precimatic Ltd RLC Ronaldsway Swagelok Ltd Target Aerospace Triumph Actuation Systems Zenith Industrial Products Ltd
This industrial legacy isn’t a feature buried in the Island’s long distant past, the innovation and skill on display today is just as striking, if not more so. The creation of the Isle of Man Aerospace Cluster (IOMAC) in 2006 builds on this legacy and provides a support structure for the Island’s aerospace sector to pursue even greater global recognition. Chairman of the IOMAC, Adrian Moore tells me that the Cluster drives forward a sector which has had a presence on the Island for more than 60 years and whose members have a direct customer order book related to aerospace design, manufacture and service provision. “The Cluster is a partner to every major civil and military aerospace product programme in the world today, including the Airbus A380 and A350; the Joint Strike Fighter; the Rolls-Royce Trent Engine Family, and the Curiosity Mars Rover,” he says. A key early achievement of the IOMAC was the forming of a strategic partnership with Europe’s largest aerospace cluster, the North West Aerospace Alliance – headquarted in Preston, Lancashire. According to Moore; “This provides access to one of the most dynamic and important aerospace clusters, and though IOMAC contains several significant companies, this partnership has proved particularly beneficial for the smaller firms in the cluster.”
The William Kennish Building machine shop
Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre In 2006, IOMAC, the Chambers of Commerce and the IoM Government realised that they were facing a potential shortage of skilled engineers. Like many other nations around the world, the first task was to address the negative perceptions associated with engineering (and manufacturing). The first step was to sponsor a Skills Champion who – since 2007 – has been holding sessions with every year group, in every school on the Island discussing what modern engineering is; what the industry means to the Island and to the world; what qualifications are required; what the typical starting salary is, and what opportunities such a career presents. Dubbed Awareness of Careers in Engineering (ACE), the programme has been highly successful, perhaps too successful. Within three years of it starting, a company who was typically receiving 20 applicants for its six annual apprenticeship positons unexpectedly received 175 applicants. The company filled its six places, but a large number of students who had shown a desire to become engineers had been left disappointed. As a result, the Island has recently unveiled two new advanced engineering training facilities, representing a combined Government investment of £6m. The Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre – located just outside the heart of the capital, Douglas – is dedicated to creating the next generation of precision machinists and engineers. The William Kennish Building concentrates on other areas including electronics; mechanical engineering; fabrication, and mechatronics. The new Foundation Apprenticeship in Engineering offers 36 people each year the opportunity to study full-time for two years and enter a third year based in industry well-equipped to take on the challenges of this most demanding and dynamic of industries. Thanks to increasing the range of vocational pathways offered by the Isle of Man College of Further and Higher Education – including a Foundation Apprenticeship in Engineering which takes students through the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre – there are now enough talented young engineers being produced to fulfil immediate demand, as well as helping to meet future demand based on retirements, projected growth and inward investment.
July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 35
Manx Engineers is one of the founding members of IOMAC
Having been established on the IoM in 1955, Manx Engineers falls into the former category. Following a management buy-out in 2009 and supported by Government machinery and training grants, the company has achieved an impressive growth rate in excess of 30% a year. Manx Engineers is one of the founding members of IOMAC and its assertive investment programme has seen new Citizen and Mazak CNC millturn machines being installed and paying dividends. A similar proactive approach to staff development has seen the company
IOMAC forums take place every quarter
36 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
achieve an average employee age of 35 – far lower than the industry norm. The company’s Martyn Perkins says that being part of IOMAC allows the group to punch well above their individual weight, as well as pooling information and disseminating intelligence that members otherwise wouldn’t be aware of. As well as being an engineer – a tool maker by trade, Moore is also engineering and space development manager for the Isle of Man’s Department of Economic Development. “I understand our member’s culture,
business and, importantly, the challenges they face,” he says. “The Government works with each business to ensure they stay ahead of the competition curve, and one of our most successful Government programmes ever has been the Financial Assistance Scheme. Governments providing money to companies may not be a new concept, but what makes ours unique is that it’s based on deep relationships and the fact that it isn’t a one-hit initiative, rather a long-term partnership.” Moore goes on to say that UK Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), for example, have to consider bids with outcomes measured on a much grander scale, such as the creation of dozens, if not hundreds of new jobs. The IoM Government focuses more on stability, protecting the jobs which already exist and creating sustainable jobs moving forward. Thanks to this level of Government financial support, recent years have seen IOMAC invest in lean cellular manufacture, flexible manufacturing systems and in its R&D capability. Rolls-Royce’s business improvement programme, Journey to Process Excellence (JTPE), is currently being rolled out across the Cluster, and IOMAC members have also benefitted from a number of joint purchasing agreements, enhanced marketing support, and increased purchasing power. Government support is also what Nigel Brown, managing director of RLC Ronaldsway, cites as being the biggest opportunity the IoM offers. Having recently joined the aerospace manufacturer and system integrator, Brown notes that the IoM Government genuinely wants to help businesses develop and grow, and is keen to hear ideas to that effect. When questioned about the biggest challenge facing business on the Island, Brown says that firms have to be prepared to invest in the training and development of their current workforce, alongside engaging with the local community to encourage the next generation through. [See Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre box] RLC Ronaldsway is typical of many IOMAC members, with around 70% of its output going into the UK, versus 30% going elsewhere. Brown describes the current relationship with the UK
Isle of Man
as important to the business, but anticipates that this will change with a number of new contracts expected to be signed imminently. One of which is worth £2.5m a year to supply into Poland and Germany. With the aim of swelling the Cluster’s numbers, Moore explains that the focus isn’t explicitly on aerospace. “We called it IoM Aerospace Cluster, but we could have just as easily called it the IoM Precision Engineering Cluster as the vast majority of work undertaken is aero-related, but not every member is an aerospace company,” he describes. Ultimately, it came down to the international standards for which aerospace is regarded, with the sector lauded as being one of the pinnacles of engineering. “If you can manufacture components for aerospace, you can supply almost any other sector. We chose Aerospace Cluster as we are working to that criteria and helping our members to understand that philosophy,” Moore continues. When asked whether the stretch of water – narrow though it may be – that separates the IoM from mainland UK poses any issue, Moore is assertive in
With a five year strategy for growth in place, the Cluster has thrived because of its agility and adaptability
Isle of Man at a glance: Population – 85,000 Land area – 221 sq miles / 572 sq km Location – Centre of the Irish Sea, 31 miles / 50 km from both the UK and Ireland Currency - £ Sterling Corporate tax rates – 0% Parliament – Tynwald, the world’s oldest continuous parliament Economy – 30 years of continuous growth Key sectors include – finance & professional services; tourism; manufacturing; food & drink; biopharma, and offshore energy/clean tech
Adrian Moore, Chairman, IOMAC
his reply. “Logistically we are rock solid, we wouldn’t be thriving as an island today if that wasn’t the case. The water can be a slight inconvenience, but the components IOMAC produces are high value, low volume and low mass, so shipping costs are typically a miniscule fraction of overall costs. “The other consideration is that it’s far quicker to fly something from the IoM to London than it is to ship the same product by road from Glasgow because it goes direct,” Moore adds. With the Cluster rapidly approaching its tenth anniversary, the questions remains - has it been successful? According to the latest IoM Government figures, more than 880 people are
HOT TOPIC
directly employed by the IOMAC, an almost 40% rise since the Cluster’s inception in 2006. “With a five year strategy for growth in place, the Cluster has thrived because of its agility and adaptability. We have a clear vision and are committed to remaining a partner in excellence with our customers,” Moore concludes.
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July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 37
L
When the manufacturing and art unite successfully, an artist’s designs are brought to life in awe-inspiring structures
Laser Cutting Technologies’ Jane Robinson explains why an open dialogue with the art world is so important for the future of modern manufacturing. 38 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
aser cutting 40 tonnes of Corten steel might not sound like the most glamorous of contracts, or indeed anything worth commenting on for a laser firm like ours. But unlike the majority of steel that finds its way onto our lasers, this particular example of laser cut metal is now commanding the attention of the London art world’s glitterati. Earlier this year we were commissioned to help world renowned artist Conrad Shawcross RA create one of his most ambitious projects yet – a site-specific installation for the Royal Academy of Arts Courtyard for the Summer Exhibition 2015. The Cutting Technologies team has worked with Conrad many times in the past but this latest work by the youngest living Royal Academician was our most ambitious and challenging project. We laser cut eight thousand tetrahedrons which were then welded by Ken Ware Engineers to form ‘The Dappled Light of the Sun 2015’ – a captivating combination of artistic brilliance and engineering skill taking centre stage in the Annenburg Courtyard. Since 1769, The Summer Exhibition has provided a unique platform for both emerging and established artists and architects to showcase their work on an international scale. It is the world’s oldest open-submission exhibition and early exhibitors included the likes of Reynolds, Constable and Turner. For a manufacturing company to have played a part in such a prestigious exhibition is proof that art and engineering can work hand in hand beautifully. But finding the perfect marriage between engineer and artist isn’t simple, and I believe both artists and
Art in Manufacuring
SPECIAL FEATURE
But finding the perfect marriage between engineer and artist isn’t simple, and I believe both artists and manufacturers often miss out on great opportunities by struggling to speak each other’s language
manufacturers often miss out on great opportunities by struggling to speak each other’s language. The UK is a leading global manufacturer with a world class reputation. Search any news website and everyone from the EEF to trade unions will champion our fantastic reputation in aerospace, shipbuilding, science, textiles and the pharmaceutical sectors. Yet rarely do we hear about the arts and the huge role manufacturing plays in our creative industries sector. Is it any surprise then that many manufacturers and engineers feel like aliens in another world when faced with artists’ complex briefs and big creative challenges? Or that creatives might assume that engineers are there for the nitty gritty of a job, but not likely to add much to the wider artistic process? When the two worlds collide effectively, manufacturing brings design to life by interpreting the artist’s concept into a thing of wonder, creating breathtaking sculptures and architecture in some of the most renowned locations. After spending our early years focused on traditional engineering work, we decided to
share our laser cutting and engraving expertise with architecture and design professionals – and spark their creativity in the process. It hasn’t always been easy and we’ve learned lots along the way but the benefits far outweigh the challenges. We have had to develop a different mindset when dealing with artists. We have to guide them on how the design will translate from paper to a finished piece. We answer technical questions and give them advice and suggestions to think about but ultimately the decision (and the liability) rests with the designer. It’s up to them to make sure the piece fits together and is structurally sound. On Conrad’s latest project, we collaborated with Structure Workshop, the London-based structural design engineers, to ensure Conrad’s vision worked on a practical level as well as aesthetically. Teaming up with other specialists is a great way of guaranteeing the success of an artistic project. Artistic work can stretch us in more ways than engineering work can. One of the many bonuses of this is developing new techniques through artistic work that cross over to our core engineering work, which still takes up the majority of our laser time. It doesn’t have to be an either/or. Taking on artistic work and engineering jobs can help us become more proficient in both areas. Our new Fiber lasers cut copper and bronze easily – perfect for our artistic customers following latest design trends for copper. They also boosted our engineering work by opening up new markets in healthcare, with the use of antimicrobial copper becoming more commonplace.
It is not widely publicised the important role that manufacturing plays in the creative industries
Artistic work can stretch us in more ways than engineering work can We developed our skills and heavily invested in new machinery to allow us to cut and engrave a vast and diverse range of materials so artists don’t have to compromise. We’ve helped to create latex suits for Paris Couture Week, steel panels for the Ambassadorial Residence in Israel, Corten sculptures for Antony Gormley and engraved oak panels at Manchester University. Our ‘Cutting Creativity Loose’ campaign opens dialogue and shows designers and artists what’s possible with modern laser technology. We work with such a wide range of materials in so many ways that we’ve started offering sample packs to artists so they can get a better idea of how their designs could translate. It makes communication between artist and engineer much simpler. The art world is unknown territory for many manufacturers but it’s also an adventure. It’s a new challenge but one which our industry should embrace if we want to continue to prosper and progress. Working with artists is exciting, creative and fulfilling. They have a spark and imagination which can be lacking in the day to day business world. Yes, we still need and value our engineering contracts but there’s nothing like the pride of seeing your work exhibited in a landmark venue for future generations to admire. July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 39
SECTORfocus The UK’s defence manufacturing sector punches above its weight – but how far? Ruari McCallion has been holding a weigh-in.
BAE Systems Typhoon in the air The Aerospace segment is the Uk defence industry’s largest exporter
A
ccording to the Office for National Statistics, the total value of sales of military products manufactured in the UK across the four main product groups – military fighting vehicles, weapons and ammunition, ships and floating structures, and air and spacecraft and related machinery – was £13.1 billion in 2013. But that related solely to military sales. Total ‘group’ sales were somewhat more than that – more than twice as much, in fact, at £26.2bn, led by the ‘air and spacecraft and related machinery’
40 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
group with no less than £20.2bn altogether. But the Daily Telegraph reported as long ago as 2011 that the defence industry’s turnover was £35bn. The lines between military and civilian can sometimes get blurred – avionics and maritime electronics, for example are often dual purpose and COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) purchasing has been a reality for some years. The divergence in expenditure on R&D shown in the accompanying graphic tends to illustrate the point: as the amount of expenditure on clearly military R&D
has fallen, that allocated to civilian expenditure has risen, practically as a mirror-image. There is not entire agreement even on those numbers, however. The UK is the world’s second-largest exporter of defence equipment, behind the USA. Its market share is estimated at 22%; in 2013 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), it won £13bn of new defence and security business, around £1.5bn up from the previous year. Around 55,000 jobs are sustained by those exports and 300,000 people continued on p42
Defence
The UK’s defence manufacturing industry is dominated by a small number of OEMs, led by BAE Systems and EADS, and it has, historically, been very difficult for smaller businesses to get any attention paid to their ideas
Rolls-Royce power - Royal Navy Type 45 surface vessel goes through its paces
Armed for growth
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It has been rather difficult for SMEs to get themselves onto the defence sector supply chain. MOD’s Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) and Innovate UK’s Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) are ways for smaller businesses to get a way in, Jim Pennycook explained to Ruari McCallion.
he UK’s defence manufacturing industry is dominated by a small number of OEMs, led by BAE Systems and EADS, and it has, historically, been very difficult for smaller businesses to get any attention paid to their ideas. The CDE (Centre for Defence Enterprise) initiative was launched in 2008, as part of the MOD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. It uses a series of innovation competitions to enable SMEs to get their proof-of concept research projects in front of MOD decision makers. The £10m Ministry of Defence funded Defence Growth Partnership (DGP) Innovation Challenge programme was announced at the opening of DGP’s UK Defence Solutions Centre (UKDSC) in March 2015. The UKDSC is described as an independent body that brings together representatives from large companies in the defence industry in a “collaborative space to address export opportunities”. Its staff, who are seconded from the defence industry,
SECTOR FOCUS
operate under MOD and industry nondisclosure agreements to protect the intellectual property of bidders. The CDE, in association with the UKDSC, is currently conducting four SBRI (Small Business Research Initiative) compliant competitions. Entries for the first two, on mission training and persistent surveillance from the air, are open until early August this year. Both offer up to £1 million of phase one research funding. Entries and bids are invited from industry, including SMEs, and academia. The winners will be announced in September, so the process is also deliberately addressing the complaint that getting responses from government and the further reaches of the defence supply chain took far too long. Entries can be made using the CDE online portal, at www.gov.uk/cdeportal-submit-a-proposal. “In 2007, Lord Drayson made clear that he was of the opinion that the UK’s defence industry wasn’t accessing sources of innovation from SMEs,” said Jim Pennycook, head of operations at CDE. “The CDE was set up to offer
an easier route in via competitions to enable SMEs to engage with the MOD.” The competitions are described as a way of ‘articulating the challenges’ faced by MOD. “They are commercial competitions but the way the challenges are described open up the competitions to bidders beyond the traditional defence field,” Pennycook explained. “With these competitions we are working to ensure that SMEs are not disadvantaged. We understand that SMEs depend on cash flow so the pace of decision-making is very fast.” In addition to the DGP Innovation Challenge, CDE is holding a number of themed competitions this year, as well as the Enduring Challenge competition, which is always open. The Enduring Challenge has a budget of £3m a year and typically funds proposals for proofof-concept research in the range of £50,000 to £100,000 for work of three to nine months duration. The range of projects that can be considered extends from protection and ‘situational awareness’ (including GPS applications) to communications and reduced cost of ownership. www.gov.uk/ government/publications/cdeenduring-challenge-competition Past competitions have covered Additive Manufacturing for Future Defence Requirements. Companies outside the normal defence sector with whom the CDE has worked include Cosworth and Williams from the motorsport cluster. “Whenever we are looking at new technologies we will always be interested in how manufacturing can help”, Pennycook concluded.
July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 41
overall are employed in defence-related activities. The biggest UK-based suppliers to the MoD are BAE Systems, Babcock, Qinetiq and Rolls-Royce – which, of course, supplies engines to civilian and military customers around the world. Aerospace has the biggest share of the global defence market, at 62%; the UK’s aerospace sector contributed 83% of the country’s total defence export sales, so it is small wonder that BAE Systems is one of Britain’s largest employers. Activities related to defence are to be found all over the country, from Plymouth in the South-West to the established clusters around Farnborough and in the North-West, whose Aerospace Alliance reaches
across the sea to a small, but important, cluster on the Isle of Man. The government expects the fastest-growing sector over 2013-17 to be the ‘cyber security’ segment. Export sales are expected to expand at around 20% a year over the period. The domination of the large OEMs came about through the growth and then agglomeration of companies that had local presence and used nearby suppliers, to huge-globe-spanning organisations today. The
Adjustable bolted propeller for Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier. Photo courtesy of Rolls-Royce
Games people play It has been rather difficult for SMEs to get themselves onto the defence sector supply chain. MOD’s Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) and Innovate UK’s Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) are ways for smaller businesses to get a way in, Jim Pennycook explained to Ruari McCallion.
42 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
WW1 submarine HMS A7
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he loss of HMS A7, a First World War submarine, cost the lives of 11 crewmembers and the wreck, in 135 feet of water at Whitsand Bay, near Plymouth, has defied all attempts at salvage. Recently, a team from the University of Birmingham’s School of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering (EESE) was involved in an MoD-approved survey and used 3D software to recreate an image of the doomed vessel, helping to reveal why it settled on the seabed in an unusual, bow-up angle of around 30° and with her
stern embedded in over 20ft of soft clay. But the Virtual Reality (VR) technologies employed in the survey are not just interesting tools for academics. Their role in the defence industry is growing – after a false start or two. “In the 1990s, when VR first gained visibility in the UK, a lot of people were force-fed the ‘technology push’ approach. You had to wear a helmet, a glove and many other outlandish technologies” said Professor Robert Stone, Chair in Interactive Multimedia Systems and Director, Human Interface
Defence
government has also fostered growth in its defence establishment, in areas beyond the armed forces themselves. This led to the perception that smaller companies were being squeezed out – or, at least, finding it progressively more difficult to get their ideas listened to and their products put on the approved list. Finally, in 2007, Lord Drayson declared that he believed that the country was missing out on innovation that was and is happening among SMEs. The outcome has been the creation of the Centre for Defence Enterprise, the Defence Growth Partnership, the Small Business Research Initiative and, most recently, the opening of the UK Defence Solutions Centre. SMEs in the defence sector now have routes to present ideas, innovations and to compete for research funding in non—traditional ways. As the sector is demonstrably important to research, employment, manufacturing and the balance of payments, greater involvement of innovators can only be helpful.
Technologies Team at EESE. He was one of the first Europeans to experience the NASA VIEW VR system in 1987 and established the first industrial VR team at the UK’s National Advanced Robotics Centre. He could justifiably be described as “Mr VR” so when he offers an opinion on the subject, people listen. Initially, the computers and software were so expensive and the skills base was just at foundation level, with the result that the industry generally turned its attention elsewhere. Stone and a few others continued to believe that VR would have its day. “The critical influence was the Games industry,” he said. “They not only developed software that was affordable to and usable by many, they also influenced the development of the graphics hardware we now exploit in all of our applications.” VR’s range of technologies can be useful in design,
VR simulation of a command deck for the Royal Navy
SECTOR FOCUS
THE DEFENCE INDUSTRY IN NUMBERS The UK is the world’s second-largest defence exporter, after the USA, and holds an estimated 22% share of the market
Export value: in 2013
Annual turnover of the defence industry: in excess of
manufacture and training; the trick is to use the right ones. Stone’s concern in the near-term future is about the technical and human factors in using head-mounted displays, such as the Oculus Rift, in industrial applications. He is also quite critical about the “need” for large-scale projection-type VR “theatres” or “CAVEs”. “There is no concrete evidence to suggest that companies, especially in the defence and manufacturing sectors, need to invest in these “overkill” technologies when a carefully-designed and implemented virtual environment, presented on a large, ultra high-definition screen, will do the job,” he said. The Human Interface Technologies Team has developed an interactive command space planning tool using games-based simulation techniques, enabling future Royal Navy multi-role vessel designers to explore a variety of command space layout concepts prior to finalising a specific solution, using objects from a 3D database and both male and female avatars to test operating space, lines of sight and ergonomics. The initial prototype was based on the Unity game engine. It recently successfully concluded a two-year research project dealing with advanced technologies
Total employment:
300,000
Recently, a team from the University of Birmingham’s School of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering (EESE) was involved in an MoD-approved survey and used 3D software to recreate an image of the doomed vessel
and interaction concepts for BAE Systems’ Future Projects Team, which investigated virtual and augmented reality forms of human machine interface (HMI) between the human pilot and aircraft, or a sophisticated command and control system. But is it just for the OEMs or main contractors or can it be used further down the supply chain? “Definitely,” Stone responds. “Because the price of the games machines and 3D construction tools have come down so much, there’s no reason why smaller companies can’t benefit. Companies we have worked with will deliver proposals to the MoD and OEMs in the form of 3D presentations and virtual prototypes. And once you have built it, there’s no problem with converting it to work with other companies’ tools.”
July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 43
Defence
SECTOR FOCUS
If you have a nuclear plant that has suffered a catastrophic incident – or even if you have a waste storage facility in Cumbria, NW England – you obviously want to know how things are going within the seriously irradiated areas but you cannot risk sending human beings into them
Blue Bear iSTART fixed-wing UAV, being launched by Gavin Goudie, Operations Director
Drones club T
Blue Bear Systems is spreading its wings beyond its roots in defence applications, Ruari McCallion finds out more from Chief Executive Dr Yoge Patel.
hink of drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and the picture that comes to mind is of a fighter-sized aeroplane with a bulbous nose, usually portrayed against a backdrop of a conflict in Afghanistan or somewhere in the Middle East. But not all UAVs are Reapers or Predators and not all of their missions are in battlefield situations. Dr Yoge Patel is chief executive of Blue Bear, which is based near Cranfield in Bedfordshire. She recently visited Milan where the company, unveiled RISER (Remote Intelligent Survey Equipment for Radiation), an unmanned aerial system (UAS) collaboratively developed with intelligent sensing specialists, Createc.
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“RISER is a miniature rotary wing UAS with SNAP (flight management system) avionics developed by Blue Bear Systems,” Dr Patel explained. “It has the ability to hover and manoeuvre autonomously within complex industrial environments. It carries Createc’s N-Visage 3-D radiation mapping software with a gamma radiation spectrometer.” What that adds up to is a pretty smart machine. If you are, say, Ukrainian or Japanese and you have a nuclear plant that has suffered a catastrophic incident – or even if you have a waste storage facility in Cumbria, NW England – you obviously want to know how things are going within the seriously irradiated areas but you cannot risk
sending human beings into them. That can give people the wrong idea about your personnel policies. What you need is a RISER platform. “RISER carries systems that tell it where to go,” Dr Patel said. “You don’t have GPS inside a nuclear facility so it employs sensors to draw a picture of the room it is in and it uses that picture in real time to work out what to do.” It does not simply follow a pre-programmed route. A gamma radiation sensor overlays the map of the physical environment and builds up a picture of the “hot spots” inside the facility. It can be useful even if you don’t have a nuclear facility, for such things as on-ground inspection of aeroplanes, including in the immediate aftermath of lightning strikes or impact by hailstones, for example, and for power line inspection, tracking and monitoring beyond the line of sight, for oil platforms and a range of other applications. RISER is just the latest in a line of UAVs developed and built by Blue Bear Systems, which extend from multi-rotor craft to fixed-wing aircraft. It designs and develops avionics and ground control stations and offers a multiple vehicle integration testbed called MUVIT. The company was born 16 years ago from Qinetiq, which was previously part of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). One of its platforms, launched in 2011, is entirely UK-sourced. “We design everything and outsource, for example, carbon fibre manufacturing and metal fabrication,” Dr Patel explained. “We focus on integration and on where we want to control risk.” Any componentry bought off the shelf but will be “race tuned” – and the racing analogy is deliberate; the company has worked with motor racing businesses and has used the skills of aerodynamicists with F1 backgrounds, for example. It also makes use of additive manufacturing, aka 3D Printing. “We started using additive manufacturing in 2010 but we kept quiet about it, because it was a competitive advantage.” she said. “It truly transformed the business. The time taken to manufacture and assemble a UAV has been slashed, compared with 2005. If you have complexity in the fuselage, it improves reliability and consistency, and reduces the price differential – it costs pretty much the same whether you’re making five, 10 or 100.” Blue Bear’s business is primarily in the military field for the moment but the objective is to rebalance so that the majority is in civil applications.
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INTERVIEW Future flight Callum Bentley talks to former Innovate UK chief, Iain Gray about returning to his true love.
46 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
Iain Gray
INTERVIEW
‘‘I
spent 27 years in the aerospace sector and I loved it, and I still love it, but you begin to form this perception that aerospace is unique.” This is the sentiment that Iain Gray, former head of Innovate UK and now head of aerospace at Cranfield University is having to overcome since moving on from his role within the public sector back to an industry role. The move back to his roots in aerospace in March this year was a move he made with great anticipation, not so much because of his familiarity with it, but because of the comprehensively broader visibility he could now project onto the sector. Prior to his role as chief executive at Innovate UK, Gray clocked up about 27 years in the aerospace sector. After finalising his studies, he cut his teeth inside the walls of some of the world’s biggest aerospace businesses including British Aerospace, BAE Systems and finally as director of engineering and then managing director at Airbus UK. “I spent seven years at Innovate UK,” Gray says. “That broadened my mind in terms of seeing outside the aerospace sector and some of the great things that are going on [in other
My stated ambition within the university is to establish Cranfield as Europe’s number one aerospace university sectors]. It introduced me into a much more structured way of doing business between university and industry and seeing more clearly what works and what doesn’t inside these relationships. “I made my mind up that I wanted to go back into an aerospace scenario and with that industry and public service background I felt I could bring some unique thoughts into academia.” Gray’s role at Cranfield University Aerospace, as he describes it, is “a much bigger and more embracing role than just business development”. As director of aerospace, everything that effectively comes under an aerospace theme at the university, comes under his responsibility, whether that is teaching, July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 47
executive education, research, or business development. But there is one leading goal Gray is looking to achieve form his new role. “My stated ambition within the university is to establish Cranfield as Europe’s number one aerospace university,” he says. And he’s in a solid position to make that happen. Cranfield Aerospace Limited is a wholly owned
commercial arm of Cranfield University. The arm’s modus operandi, according to its website, is to drive “rapid innovation and de-risking of product solutions for meeting some of the most challenging issues facing the aerospace industry.” “Cranfield is in the enviable position of having a number of very unique assets and facilities,” Gray says. “It’s the only
Since his departure, Ruth McKernan has been appointed as the new chief executive. McKernan does not come from an aerospace background, instead her CV lists a long and illustrious career in the pharmaceuticals industry. Key appointments include heading research teams in some of the sector’s biggest players including Pfizer and Merck.
university with its own runway, it’s a university with its own fleet of aircraft for teaching and research purposes. It’s a university that has its own company; Cranfield Aerospace, which has full regulatory approval for repairs and modifications. There are some real unique assets that nobody else has that already position it in a very strong way. “But I think in terms of being number one in Europe, what we can do and what we will do is leverage those assets in a much more joined up way. Not just for Cranfield but making those assets available in a broader UK research sense in aerospace. That’s where I would like to position Cranfield.” Currently Cranfield Aearospace covers areas of development in safety, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV or drones), special purpose aircraft, design, manufacturing and maintenance, rapid prototyping, and simulation. And within each of these areas, there are technological challenges which Gray aims to overcome by producing the best, young engineers to feed into the burgeoning aerospace sector. But he is the first to admit that this aerospace sector is far from the one in which he gained his stripes. “I spent 27 years in the industry aerospace is in my blood,” he says. “I loved every minute of it and saw some great highlights - the A380 first flight would probably be the real highlight. “However, now one of the biggest challenges that I see in a technology and research sense, is that we’re unlikely to see any major new platform developments like this in the next decade.”
No doubt the innovative-rich pharma sector can continue the sector-neutral push for growth in R&D across the UK. But does the old guard agree?
Getting their wings
Gray returns to the aerospace sector at Cranfield University after seven years at the helm of Innovate UK
Changing of the guard With his eyes firmly locked on his future at Cranfield Aerospace, I feel as though it’s only natural to try and draw him back to his time at Innovate UK, or more so, what he sees for the future of the body.
“There’s a remarkable read across between the two sectors. Should aerospace be worried about someone from pharma coming in? Absolutely not,” Gray confirms. “What you’ve got in Ruth is a genuine leader in a science and technology management industry who’s now leading Innovate UK, and I think it’s terrific. “I’ve known Ruth for many years. She was doing a great job in her previous company at Pfizer, but she was also playing a very strong role in the innovation landscape and was involved in the Knowledge Transfer Network mechanism, some of the collaborative R&D programmes and even some of the Catapult thinking. I really think she really brings a lot of capability to Innovate UK.”
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So how do we get our young engineers to be trained and developed in a way where they actually know how to apply the research they are learning in a real sense? “It’s been great over the past decade when you look at Boeing, Airbus, Rolls-Royce and GE, what they’ve been through in new product development, there have been some real opportunities for young engineers to cut their teeth on new products. Whether it’s designing
100% 75% 50% 25% 0%
57%
Iain Gray
INTERVIEW
We’re in that catch 22 situation where we need to find out how to provide experiences for young engineers coming through in a new and meaningful way new factories, new ways of working. Whether it be about new engineering solutions, every industry is screaming out for engineers, people with the right skills. But now we’re in that catch 22 situation where we need to find out how to provide experiences for young engineers coming through in a new and meaningful way when there aren’t necessarily the new products coming through.” While what we would perceive as “traditional” aerospace product development such as new passenger models is more than likely to decline over the next decade, the UAV market is set to continue its already massive growth. According to a 2014 report produced by aerospace and defence market research firm, Teal Group, about $6.4bn is being spent each year on drone technology development around the world. That number is expected to nearly double in future years, bringing the total amount spent on drones for both military and commercial applications to $11.5bn annually by 2024. It’s these kinds of figures that excite Gray about the future of the country’s aerospace engineers. “It’s a staggering number and that type of technology and capability is developing all the time,” he says. “You look at the applications that might exist there around agrifood or smart transport solutions. While there may be large commercial aerospace products, there are lots of opportunities emerging in lots of different markets. So from a Cranfield perspective, it’s how we develop the engineers of the future in the current commercial aerospace markets. But how do we also develop the entrepreneurial flair and talent to realise the new emerging opportunities that exist in the non-conventional industries?” He raises a good point, and while it’s unfair to throw the proverbial blanket over all engineers, the profession is not really renowned for its vehement personalities.
Cranfield is the only University in the UK with its own runway and fleet of aircrafts used for teaching and research
Gray is determined to make Cranfield the premier institution for aerospace in Europe
But the saviour to the industry’s challenges might not lie so much in developing personalities, but more the future business models in which they work.
Here to serve
Rolls-Royce has been at the forefront of the service-based switch. The company’s “power-by-the-hour” model has had academics and industry professionals alike studying how taking what was once simply a build and sell model, into a cyclical, fluid and ongoing model which ties manufacturer and customer together over the lifespan of a product. “I think the business models are changing, and Rolls-Royce have placed a lot of emphasise on the service aspect of the industry in the past decade or so,” Gray says. “My analogy in a completely different market is the music industry. When I first started collecting music I bought LPs, then
cassettes and then CDs. Suddenly there was a big switch where I wasn’t buying a physical object, I was getting my music through social media or Spotify or YouTube. “So what is the relevance to that compared to manufacturing and aerospace? What about additive layer manufacturing and 3D printing, where suddenly distributed manufacturing and distributed supply chain models and actually being able to produce parts at the point of usage take hold? This opens opportunities to the entire aircraft support industry. “I honestly think there are quite a few exciting opportunities that could emerge around service industries and that could flow from the very high level opportunities that the OEMs might want to develop to support new models, right through to the support and supply chain levels. It’s exciting times and I think the models are changing and will change.” July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 49
6Osecond Mick Ord, Managing Director, BAE Systems Naval Ships
INTERVIEW
Mick Ord Managing Director, BAE Systems Naval Ships
You are currently working on the second of three new patrol vessels at the BAE Systems Scotsoun site in Glasgow. Is there anything special about this one?
All three are really important ships for the Royal Navy and also for the UK Ship Building industry. Each of the three ships is the same, they are the River Class Batch 2 variant, very impressive ships, 90 metres long, 1,900 tonne displacement, with a range of over 5,000 nautical miles. The programme allows us to transition from building the aircraft carriers, which we are doing in here in Glasgow, to building the next generation frigates for the Royal Navy next year.
How many people are involved in the design and engineering process at the Glasgow site?
Overall in our business we have over 4,500 people who are directly involved in engineering and manufacture of complex warships. Here in Glasgow from a production perspective, we have over 800 production staff and they are currently building blocks for the aircraft carrier. They will all transition into building River class optimal control vessels and then next year they’ll transition into building the frigates. The programme to build the 3OPVs is a very fast programme, we have to deliver three ships in four years and that’s a great challenge for us. However, it
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gives us the opportunity to trial new methodologies, new techniques and technologies from both a design and manufacture perspective.
How many apprentices are involved and in which phases of the construction following the £348m contract with the MoD signed last year in August?
We always make sure that we measure our apprentice intake with regards to our forward demand and we have created many hundreds of apprenticeships since we’ve landed this contract. Also, we’ve been working with our customer regarding what our future frigate programme looks like. We will continue to invest in our apprenticeship scheme. I started my career as a 16-year-old apprentice, so I am a huge supporter, as is the overall business, about bringing apprentices and graduates into our business. They bring fresh ideas and we give them the opportunity to train and build a career on programmes such as the one that we see today.
How important is it that these warships bring security to the UK and how important is it for UK manufacturing that these warships are designed and manufactured here?
It is a stated UK Government aim to have a Sovereign capability to design, manufacture, test and commission
We always make sure that we measure our apprentice intake with regards to our forward demand and we have created many hundreds of apprenticeships since we’ve landed this contract
complex warships here in the UK. At BAE Systems we are very proud to play a very significant role in that, so the ability to do what we are doing today and going forward is hugely important not just to our company but to the UK as a whole.
What does the future hold for BAE Systems and its ship building capability?
Well, as I have said, there is the river class programme, where we deliver three ships in four years. Then in September next year we’ll be back here in this very spot cutting steel for the first Type 26 frigate, that’s a very different proposition, it’s a very complex warship, weighing 7,000 tonnes and measuring 150 metres long. The current planning assumption is 13 of those vessels and that will take manufacturing here in Glasgow well into the 2030s.
The Manufacturer’s
National Skills Conference 14-15 October 2015 | Ansty Park, Coventry
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Learning to lean In the summer double issue of LMJ, Editor Andrew Putwain reveals how lean has gone into the halls of power with a focus on the civil service, as well as a visit to Scotland to Shingo Prize winners Newsprinters UK, and a case study from Panalpina.
W
ith all the election coverage recently, I’m sure we’re all heartily sick of discussing politics and hearing the words “austerity”, as well as, “long term economic plan” and “budget cuts” being mentioned every minute of the day. But, as LMJ always has its finger on the pulse, just two months later we present our civil
ISTRY THE MAIN N OF LE rvices ment se in govern e of lean lude: g the plac ealth, tion inc in this ediCommission, TriH Explorin y featured eocon
alit ws Care Qu lows, Val intervie ons and k of Australia,, Joe Bell, Bill Bel Ban Organisati i Wales nwealth Commo ters UK, Academand Nycomed. Newsprin ent Consulting printing Scottish Managem UK, the s ter prin : ts News Prize. IS ISSUE LMJ visi the IN THing the word: ed the Shingo talk to (CQC) is mission England, they Spread recently award Com y care in e Qualit presses : The Car lth and social the caring of hea tinuous ut the Sharing nt regulator ctices. d of con you go abo lean pra independe w the hea ut their intervie les, to see how We n: LMJ abo the lea Academi Wa y. land of at ntr Wales: the ent and changeg an entire cou improvem task of leanin mammoth
service issue where you can see how business improvement is tackling the red tape of government inefficiency. We have interviews with the head of lean for the devolved government, and the Care Quality Commission (the regulator of public healthcare providers). As well as this, there’s the
return of our regular book reviews column (this month doing some serious Google bashing) and other great pieces focusing on steps to improve project management, and the top issues in lean. It’s not just taxes and death you can rely on: LMJ has all the lean information you’ll ever need.
KTPs: Generating innovation in lean programmes Mike Wilson and Andrew Lahy of Panalpina, together with Professor Aris Syntetos chair in operational research and operations management, and Nicole Ayiomamitou, knowledge transfer associate, share how the company’s lean approach has benefited from a wave of innovative ideas stemming from a KTP (knowledge transfer partnership) with the University of Cardiff. 52 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
Read about: What is a KTP? How Panalpina used them to great effect How your organisation can get involved in this innovative scheme In 2011 Panalpina, a logistics and freight forwarding company operating in more than 70 countries worldwide, hired Mike Wilson to launch a new logistics product to complement the company’s existing air and ocean services. Mike, with his background in manufacturing, was keen to put lean at the heart of the new logistics strategy but was also determined not to simply rehash the same top-down lean approaches many companies adopt. As Wilson explains, “We saw lots of companies blindly copying lean ideas from Toyota or Motorola
www.leanmj.com
LEAN MANUFACTURING
We saw lots of companies blindly copying lean ideas from Toyota or Motorola without understanding the underlying concepts of lean. We were determined to do something different
What is a KTP? A KTP is a Knowledge Transfer Partnership, in which a company and a university identify a problem, and work together to develop innovative solutions that benefit the company and generate further research. Typically, the business and the company jointly recruit an associate, who then works full time at the company but collaborates closely with and is employed by the university. without understanding the underlying concepts of lean. We were determined to do something different – both in terms of our new logistics offering and in terms of developing a new approach to lean in our industry.” Wilson decided to go back to the fundamental principles of lean, and, before launching the new lean programme, insisted the management team read The Machine that Changed the World and come back to him with ideas.
A lean dilemma
Going back to the original concepts of lean raised a lot of questions and left the logistics team with a dilemma: one of the key concepts of lean is to eliminate inventory and storage. How could Panalpina offer a new logistics service providing customers with warehouse space (which is wasteful) while fully embracing the key principles of lean? Most companies face this kind of dilemma when they look at the key lean concepts – leading some to conclude lean won’t work for them. More typically, companies carry on with lean and ignore the parts that don’t suit them. Panalpina was determined not to do this – so instead of adapting lean to fit the business model, Mike adjusted the business model to fit lean principles. Immediately this sent the team in a new direction. They had to find a logistics solution that didn’t rely on selling storage – one of the seven wastes in lean. “We had to do a lot of thinking, but eventually we came up with the idea of designing a solution to help customers increase flow, reduce inventory levels and shrink storage requirements,” Mike explains. This seemed counterintuitive at first, since most logistics companies like inventory –
I’m sure we’re all heartily sick of discussing politics and hearing the words ‘austerity’, also ‘long term economic plan’ and ‘budget cuts’ being mentioned every minute of the day
KTPs generally last between three months and two years and are funded by the UK government and by the company. Win – Win – Win – Win The benefit for the company is it gets access to the latest research and leading thinkers in the chosen field. The benefit for the university is it has the opportunity to test and develop its research in a live environment and can demonstrate impact. The benefit for the candidate is that he or she gets to learn from the academic experts while at the same time applying the knowledge in the business. Lastly, the UK government and the economy benefit, as KTPs often generate new business models that create employment and business growth. More information on how to apply for a KTP and funding can be found at ktp.innovateuk.org more inventory means fuller warehouses. However, as Mike points out, 3PLs that focus on filling warehouses aren’t really helping their customers optimise their supply chains. As the idea developed, the team began to look at ways to help customers reduce inventory and create flow in their supply chains. “We realised we had a wealth of information about our customers’ supply chains we were doing very little with,” Andrew Lahy says. “If we could use this data to help customers reduce inventory, free up cash and improve service levels, we could truly embrace lean principles and offer an innovative logistics solution to the market.” But because no one had ever considered the question of how a logistics company could help customers reduce inventory levels, Panalpina didn’t know where to begin.
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Exhibitors explaining their technology on show at the 2013 exhibition to key visitors in the defence sector
Connecting the defence industry Defence and Security Equipment International gives a preview of its upcoming September event in London.
The four day event, which runs from 15-18 September 2015, will take place at ExCeL London
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D
efence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) is recognised globally as the market leading exhibition for defence and security products, services and technologies, bringing together companies from across the global defence and security arena. The four day event, which runs from 15-18 September 2015, will take place at ExCeL London. Located beside the Royal Victoria Dock, warships from international navies will be berthed outside the exhibition, and inside everything from transportation boxes to armoured vehicles will be on display. The range in products and services reflects the importance DSEI places on ensuring visitors can meet with the entire supply chain, increasing opportunities for growth and exports. DSEI 2013 saw a total of 1,489 companies, representing 54 countries in attendance, and with 40 international pavilions this year, DSEI 2015 is set to provide just as many networking and business opportunities. DSEI also gives companies access to top decision makers and influencers from international governments, security agencies and militaries
DSEI
MANUFACTURING LEADERSHIP
The range in products and services reflects the importance DSEI places on ensuring visitors can meet with the entire supply chain, increasing opportunities for growth and exports that suppliers might otherwise not be able to approach by organising international delegations to the show. UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO), the government organisation which works with the MOD and UK defence and security industry to help build UK defence exports and relationships, together with Clarion Events, facilitates as many significant meetings as possible during the exhibition. Additionally, DSEI 2015 will see the first Global Partnerships Theatre, hosting seminars throughout the exhibition. The seminar programme will cover a different global region each day of the exhibition to explore key growth markets, export opportunities and global supply chain best practice. Such additions help keep DSEI the most global of all defence shows. The scope of suppliers and international nature of exhibitors also marks out DSEI as the top defence exhibition to connect with all the suppliers necessary for systems integration and upgrades. Customers are increasingly interested in how companies can provide through-life support and service life extension packages to adapt current platforms to function with new technology. For militaries buying the latest platforms, these are progressively designed to last longer and be more upgradeable, making the systems within the platform and how they integrate together increasingly crucial. Concurrently, other customers are looking to prolong the life of their current equipment, or to update second-hand platforms with the latest technology to create a highly sophisticated platform at a lower cost. Militaries are keen to grow capabilities such as C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers,
A Royal Navy helicopter exhibits outside 2013’s event
Delegates browse the trade show at the last event
Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) and to upgrade their defence and security systems in line with technology, and the drive for systems integration into multiple platforms allows this to occur more readily. While DSEI 2015 displays the industry’s most innovative platforms from the top primes, there is clear recognition of the importance of the full manufacturing supply chain, and many suppliers from other tiers and SMEs will be exhibiting during the exhibition. BAE Systems readily acknowledges the importance of its supply chain, dedicating £650m in the UK alone last year, with over 400
suppliers working together to help build the elite Typhoon aircraft, with a third of those based here in the UK. FURTHER INFO: DSEI will be held at ExCeL London from 15-18 September 2015. www.DSEI.co.uk Registration is now open on www.DSEI.co.uk/signup. Industry and Academia can book at a discounted rate until 31 July 2015. Military and Public Sector personnel can attend for free.
July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 55
Unipart
MANUFACTURING LEADERSHIP
Responsible businesses seek to forge relationships only with organisations that reflect their own values and comply with their own standards and policies on corporate responsibility
Responsibility matters Bernard Molloy, Logistician of the Year and Global Industry Director at Unipart Logistics sets out an approach to competitive advantage through corporate responsibility.
C
orporate Responsibility policy now plays a highly influential and expanding role in how companies choose to develop their business strategies. With consumer awareness of how companies behave ethically and environmentally influencing decisions on the brands they buy, protecting corporate reputation has become a critical focus for companies and is changing the way businesses operate, and, critically, how they choose their trading partners. Responsible businesses seek to forge relationships only with organisations that reflect their own values and comply with their own standards and policies on corporate responsibility. Corporate responsibility reporting is now a mainstream business practice worldwide, undertaken by almost three quarters (71 per cent) of the 4,100 companies surveyed by the accounting group KPMG in 2013. Clearly, if businesses wish to thrive then they must adopt sound policies on
56 www.themanufacturer.com | July/August 2015 | Issue 6| Volume 18
corporate responsibility and work only with like companies. According to Ethical Corporation’s ‘State of Sustainability 2015’ report, supply chains were the area of corporate activity where sustainability was most important. Some 49 per cent of respondents said sustainability was driving business revenues, with 67 per cent agreeing it provided savings. However, working ethically and sustainably requires expert knowledge and, perhaps, the right partner. As a logistics services company responsible for running the supply chains of some of the world’s most valuable brands, Unipart Logistics has for many years realised the importance of being a responsible company. The Unipart Value Set has been in place since 1987, forming the basis of our culture and is reflected in The Unipart Way, our philosophy of working, which engages and empowers employees to identify and remove waste from every aspect of the business and the supply chains we manage.
As an example, for Sky we have succeeded in recycling 98% of all waste by recycling waste back to raw materials. The remaining waste becomes fuel (Refuse Derived Fuel), which in turn preserves fossil fuel resources. We also provide an award winning zero landfill service for any returned product, equipment or packaging through a fully auditable and ethical process and are able to leverage our repair capability to provide full repair, refurbishment or harvesting of re-usable parts. Demonstrating our commitment to being a responsible company, Unipart Group was amongst the top 10 performing companies in the UK to receive a five star rating in the Business in the Community 2015 Corporate Responsibility Index – the UK’s leading benchmark of responsible businesses. In 2014, for the second year in a row, Unipart won six British Safety Council Swords of Honour across its principle sites. Corporate responsibility is at the very heart of our business and determines every aspect of the way we work with our partners and stakeholders to produce high performance supply chains that are ethical, sustainable and above all responsible. FURTHER INFO: More information on Corporate Responsibility visit our new website at www.unipartlogistics.com
EEF Insights
Carving the way forward Ian Isaac, Head of Lombard explores the significance of the 2015 EEF Investment Monitor report and the implications of the steps being taken by manufacturers to secure the future.
W
e know that UK manufacturing has seen a revival in its own fortunes in recent years but there are now indications that it is setting the pace for the rest of the UK economy by providing a blueprint for ongoing growth. At the outset it is worth noting that at the EEF Conference in February of this year, Terry Scuoler talked about the need to build a more balanced economy, and it is this theme that strikes a chord in the report’s findings. The report indicates a continued focus on investing for growth but with a clear shift in emphasis. It suggests that while investment levels will continue to increase, the pace of this growth will slow, while at the same time, the breadth of investment is widening as priorities change. It is this shift in
The findings from both the Investment Monitor and the Lombard survey suggest that manufacturers are once again leading the way for business as a whole, recognising that recovery can’t be reliant on consumer spending alone
emphasis that will be significant in securing deep-rooted growth that can be maintained for future generations. As alluded above, sustained recovery depends on a balanced economy, and in particular raising productivity levels. The report indicates that the manufacturing sector recognises that if this is to happen, investment needs to widen to include skills development, research, innovation and branding. This broader investment activity will enable manufacturers to capitalise on their previous investment in plant and machinery and other equipment and to further reinforce their competitive edge. However, it is important to note that manufacturers will continue to invest in tangible items. Over 95% plan to improve productivity and of these roughly 80% will continue to invest the same or more on plant and machinery in the
MANUFACTURING LEADERSHIP
The recent evidence suggests that the sector is moving in the right direction and that it will be influential in not only its own future but in that of the UK economy as a whole next two years, 25% cited spending to upgrade their ICT systems and a further 21% on automation in order to establish a competitive edge and contribute to productivity growth. These findings are supported by our own research which was carried out on behalf of Lombard by an independent research company, Research Now. In the survey, Attitudes to Business Investment, we explored the approach to investment across the whole economy. However, a significant finding was that when asked about their investment objectives, 93% of manufacturers responded that their main motivation is increasing efficiency levels to drive productivity, while 89% are investing to improve their competitive position. This compares with the wider economy where increasing profitability was the main reason given. This different approach suggests that manufacturers are looking at the longer term and what is needed to establish sustained growth for the future, not simply for the here and now. The findings from both the Investment Monitor and the Lombard survey suggest that manufacturers are once again leading the way for business as a whole, recognising that recovery can’t be reliant on consumer spending alone. There is also a sense that manufacturers recognise the essential role of improved productivity performance, and ultimately profitability, to ensure that the UK economy and its future is secure. At Lombard we are committed to supporting manufacturers as they take these important steps to achieving an economic structure that will stand the test of time for future generations. The recent evidence suggests that the sector is moving in the right direction and that it will be influential in not only its own future but in that of the UK economy as a whole. July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 57
Nick Lacey, Engineering Apprentice, Burton’s Biscuit Company
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH July/August 2015 Nick Lacey
Engineering Apprentice, Burton’s Biscuit Company
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
I would have to say that winning the Training 2000 award has been my biggest personal success so far
fully qualified as a multi-skilled engineer - mechanical and electrical. I am now in the second year of my apprenticeship and spend four days at work and one day at college each week. For the first year of my apprenticeship I was in college full-time and would spend college holidays at work. While at college, I completed a level 3 NVQ in Engineering designed to give me all the basic skills I would require at work. During my first year, while I was at work, I was given basic engineering tasks and mainly worked with other engineers and electricians. Now that I am at work more often and my skills are developing, I am completing more moderate engineering jobs on my own with other engineers checking my work.
What are the key technical skills you use?
CV IN BRIEF Nick Lacey Age: 25 Education: Lacey is in the second year of his apprenticeship, and has so far completed a level 3 NVQ in Engineering.
What is your role and what are your main responsibilities? At the moment my role is an engineering apprentice but once I’ve gone through the programme, I will be
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Most of the work that I complete is with a tool in my hand. It is important, within any engineering discipline, to have good hand working skills and a good understanding of the tools that you use. One thing I quickly realised about manufacturing is that it’s impossible to prepare for every eventuality, especially during breakdowns, so I’ve become expert in improvising if need be.
What personal characteristics help you in your role?
I must be able to work with others as part of a team. Some of the larger engineering tasks will require up to 10 bodies to complete. This ties in closely with being able to get on well with all the other engineers and I enjoy the camaraderie that these bigger
tasks offer. It is also important to have a confident nature. If I am called to a breakdown, I must be sure that the decisions I will make will be right.
What do you consider to be your biggest personal success at the company so far?
I would have to say that winning the Training 2000 award has been my biggest personal success so far. Hopefully I will be able to top this award in the near future.
What are the most rewarding parts of your job?
In maintenance engineering, you are faced with challenges every working day. I find that the most rewarding part of my job is the quick thinking needed to face these challenges head on. Burton’s has recently made a massive investment in its manufacturing sites, so it’s also great to be part of implementing the improvements being made, and see the factory evolve.
Do you have a grand career ambition?
At the end of July I will have completed my ONC qualification, which is my first major milestone. It feels like two minutes ago I started with Burton’s and I can’t believe I have been working there for nearly two years. In the near future, I am looking forward to starting my HNC qualification and hopefully progressing through that with no problems. I’m taking each step of my career as it comes and making sure that I focus on the qualifications I’m studying for before thinking too big.
Snapshots
WORKFORCE & SKILLS
I think it’s important that more women pursue careers in engineering and manufacturing, and that companies recognise young females’ interest in the industry Antonia-Lee Walker, Elringklinger (GB)
In one wo rkplace, th were no wo ere shopfloor men on the aside from Walker.
Breaking the mould Drive systems component manufacturer Elringklinger (GB), has added to its team with a young engineer from Redcar who has already carved out an impressive career to date. reports.
A
s the UK celebrated National Women in engineering day on June 23, Antonia-Lee Walker joined the Teesside-based automotive parts manufacturer as technical support assistant within the New Product Introduction (NPI) department. Walker studied towards a Level 3 NVQ in mechanical manufacturing engineeringwith TTE Technical Training Group and completed an HNC in mechanical engineering at Redcar College, and an HND at Middlesbrough College – both through Teesside University. “I’ve been studying ever since I left school and instead of concentrating on one area, I’ve aimed to gain academic skills and real experience across different areas,” Ms Walker said. “By getting
involved in operations and technical engineering roles, I’ve developed a better understanding of the pressures associated with them.” Walker’s main responsibility is to provide technical engineering assistance and technical administration support to the NPI function of the business. She added: “It’s very much an engineering-based role, ensuring that products are handled correctly for customers and the processes are carried out in the most efficient way. I get the opportunity to engage within the different departments and liaise with our customers, to help to provide timely feedback to both internal and external parties.” ElringKlinger (GB) managing director Ian Malcolm said: “Antonia is a fantastic
example of a motivated young individual who has excelled in her early career to stand out from the crowd and we have high prospects for her at ElringKlinger (GB). “We have forged strong links with the likes of Middlesbrough College and Teesside University in order to encourage more talent into the industry and we’re sure Antonia will act as an inspiration for female and young engineers alike.” On women in engineering, Walker said: “I think it’s important that more women pursue careers in engineering and manufacturing, and that companies recognise young females’ interest in the industry – something that I felt ElringKlinger (GB) understood. “Previously, the majority of my colleagues, and especially engineers, have been male. In one workplace, there were no females apart from within administration whereas I spent time on shopfloor. “I think the challenge is to change perceptions. You certainly toughen up and develop a thicker skin the longer you are in the industry. At one stage I was of the opinion that there may be a glass ceiling where men would get the opportunities to be progressed over women but my experience with ElringKlinger (GB) has been really refreshing. “They look at you as a person and your professional qualities. I deal with women on a daily basis across a number of departments and my male colleagues treat me with the same respect as they would anyone else. “Outside of work, however, I still like to use shock factor – when I tell people my working background, they are always surprised!”
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Blazing the trail Navigating the supply chain is often fraught with hurdles for even the largest organisations. Seasoned traveller Margaret Wood of specialist glazing company ICW (UK) Ltd understands better than most the hurdles ahead and shares some of her insight with us.
I
started ICW (UK) Ltd 23 years ago after the death of my husband Tony, to provide specialist windows and doors for fabrication rooms made by his former colleague. That original partner business has long since ceased trading but we’re still here and his legacy is intact. It hasn’t always been as easy as it appears to people who see me stand
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up in public and talk about the travails of being a woman in engineering, designing and manufacturing very niche products in often tumultuous times. The most recent recession left many of the companies we supply vulnerable, threatening our future as they struggled to survive. It is a credit to the team at our Wakefield factory that we are here to tell the tale. And if I have
The UK is facing up to its two biggest challenges, a skills shortage and productivity. Manufacturing SMEs can be part of the solution, but we need the raw materials to do it with
anything to do with it we will be here for an awful lot longer. Innovation and our design skill has been key to our success; it has enabled us to scale up and manufacture in good times and baton down the hatches in bad when we have relied on our IP. Having started the business I am still passionate about it and spend the
Margaret Wood
It hasn’t always been as easy as it appears to people who see me stand up in public and talk about the travails of being a woman in engineering, designing and manufacturing very niche products in often tumultuous times majority of my time as the ambassador talking to potential customers who manufacture products such as factory vision platforms, clean rooms for food production or health screening vehicles that tour the UK providing a vital service in remote and not so remote corners of the country. A major challenge for us is to be able to demonstrate the added value we deliver through our innovation, quality and service. Sometimes, we are at the mercy of people who have no regard for quality, but value everything on price. There is a great sense of being powerless in those circumstances. You can do very little to influence decisions; experience has taught us the best thing to do then is sit back and wait until the order has done the rounds, the customer has been let down because the cheapest can’t deliver then we pick up the commission anyway. Similarly we have felt at the mercy of other people during tough times when buyers are struggling to keep their own businesses afloat and unable or unwilling to invest in either innovative
Margaret Wood (left) at The Manufacturer Top 100
ideas that could set them apart or simply maintain production levels. Throughout the life of ICW (UK) Ltd I have always looked beyond the boundaries of what we are currently doing, aware that the business is agile and flexible enough to deliver products, services and design. The latest thing always seems the most appealing and our way of innovating in recent years has been our commitment to the environment by using sustainable materials that embed lean manufacturing into the UK production line. Ambitious, like everyone else I am keen to expand, and we are now poised for the next phase of our journey. Looking to the future optimistically, an apprentice is part of our planning, but I have always been committed to the talent that exists at ICW(UK) Ltd. The design capability of Mick Broadhead and Peter Haythorne has ensured that the products we develop for our customers keep them at the cutting edge. Whoever we take in to work alongside the existing team
SUPPLY CHAIN
needs to be a bright spark with the get up and go to learn and adapt so that they can support our ambition to grow through innovation. Having a great design service at our core meant that when a major retailer was looking to build cool stores for chilled drinks they came to us confident we could develop, make and fit temperature controlled glazing solutions. Similarly as food producers look to maintain hygiene, quality and taste while manufacturing affordable food they turn to us for windows that give them vision access. Whilst steering the ICW (UK) Ltd ship through stormy waters in the last 23 years some support from policy makers would have been welcome, but I have never been under any illusions that micro organisations like ourselves are within their sights when developing business policy. In common with many they assume that the larger companies should get the lion’s share of the support because they reason there is more at stake. They forget the ground floor organisations like ICW (UK) Ltd are the innovators of the British supply chain and everyone else depends upon them. I understand there is help available for SMEs, but often the application process is too complex and the hurdles we have to jump suggest to me they are pitched at companies large enough to employ people just to fill in the necessary paperwork. Manufacturing seems to struggle with communications. There are too few people reminding the many that the UK is still the world’s eighth largest manufacturing nation, or that there are great careers to be had in an exciting dynamic sector. The UK is facing up to its two biggest challenges, a skills shortage and productivity. Manufacturing SMEs can be part of the solution, but we need the raw materials to do it with. Enthusiastic, bright, young people who value careers in manufacturing and appreciate the demand hard work. Who knows, there may just be some out there who can be part of the new pioneers. After all, I started this business as a pioneer 23 years ago when there were very few female scientists and even fewer women engineers; let’s hope the new crop can keep our flame eternal. July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 61
Frank Partners
MANUFACTURING SERVICES
Urban myth or reality I
Frank Partners’ Nick Frank deconstructs whether there is any truth in the concept that servitization is only for complex equipment.
simplifying their supply chain than on fastener innovation. They felt that they could gain more value from a single JIT supplier. Having the product delivered to line-side only when they needed it, saved logistics and buying costs, as well as enhanced cash flow. Access to a low cost, high quality global supply base enables distributors to offer competitive pricing, so further reducing the cost of the Bill of Material. In the automotive OEM segment, value is perceived very differently. OEM’s want to engineer cost out of the product through better design Simple products can also have a that reduces the assembly costs, part significant impact on the buyer’s business, number complexity, and which is disproportionate to their cost injects the manufacturer’s expertise directly into the design teams. For example Ford Europe has reduced its mission critical. But apparently simple fastener supply base from 150 plus products can also have a significant impact on the buyer’s business, which is to three or four strategic full service providers. These companies provide disproportionate to its cost. engineering, logistics, purchasing and Take the UK industrial fastener manufacturing services to deliver a full market that over a period of 30 years bill of material to the point of fit in their has transformed from being dominated vehicle and engine assembly plants. by manufacturers, to just-in-time Other OEM’s such as BMW Mini, Land (JIT) distributors that now have near Rover and Jaguar have all implemented 80% market share. In this market, similar programmes. customers put greater value on s it really true that servitization business models only really work for companies with complex engineering products such as jet engines, trains and wind turbines? My own experience is that it is not the complexity of the product that is key. It’s the complexity of the customer’s value chain and the hidden profit pools that open up the opportunity for servicebased business models. Complexity is just more obvious where the equipment is seen as being highly technical or
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The key lesson is that it is not the product’s complexity that is key to being able to increase value through services, but the difference you can make to your customer’s value chain
For example take industrial fasteners, a seemingly simple product with no moving parts. But look closer and it is anything but simple: Typically only 20% of the total in place cost of a fastener is the cost of the fastener itself. The remaining 80% is made up of the assembly time, the logistics costs, quality, purchasing, and engineering. Fasteners are an operational pain in relation to their value. In a typical car assembly plant fasteners make up two percent of the value, but represent 25% of the parts in the assembly plant. A 50p part can stop a multimillion pound production line, cause major recalls or at worse a fatal accident: the part may be perceived as simple, but the performance is often critical to safety, or integral to the assembly process. Suppliers who have developed solutions to these business problems, have grown faster and are more profitable. The key lesson is that it is not the product’s complexity that is key to being able to increase value through services, but the difference you can make to your customer’s value chain.
SAVORTEX
MANUFACTURING SERVICES
Monitoring Data Savortex founder, Syed Ahmed, discusses why the internet of things is driving a revolution in smart devices for building management.
T
he cost of smart technology is dropping while the cost of waste and energy in increasing. This has opened up a space where energy and waste management becomes ever more effective and creates commercial opportunities for those entrepreneurial companies agile enough to take advantage of this rapidly growing field. The principle of “you can’t manage what you can’t measure” is vital to improve the way buildings are managed and to unlock savings, whether in terms of cash, carbon or waste. However, gathering the data is only the first step to evidence-based decision-making. Technology developers and end users are becoming increasingly aware of the challenge of effectively extracting
intelligence from the high volume of data being produced. According to wired.com, “Data in the 21st Century is like Oil in the 18th Century: an immensely, untapped valuable asset. Like oil, for those who see Data’s fundamental value and learn to extract and use it there will be huge rewards.” Oil, however, just like data, needs to be processed and refined before it can be used. Nike’s Hannah Jones, vicepresident of sustainable business and innovation, explains, “there’s a lot of talk about how much we need data, but actually we need the right data, and we use some serious analytics behind it to turn it into value creation.” The Savortex model starts with savings but progresses to incorporate resource efficiency through remote management.
The principle of ‘you can’t manage what you can’t measure’ is vital to improve the way buildings are managed and to unlock savings, whether in terms of cash, carbon or waste
Ultimately buildings, not just the devices in the buildings, will become smart enough to adapt to occupancy patterns, leaving facility managers to concentrate on the bigger picture and allow the building to manage the routine operations
Finally we add value to the client by sharing the monetisation of the data. Savortex’s view is that sustainable products will only be able to make a significant impact if they go beyond simple savings, as compelling as those may be. Smart products need to improve resource efficiency and, as Hannah Jones mentions, create value for the building owner. To effectively manage energy and waste, pinpoint source monitoring is required. Inevitably this requires large numbers of devices and multiple device types such as lights, hand dryers, HVAC systems, water metering, and fire alarm systems. Together these generate high volumes of data. Simply producing a smart device is only half the product. The means of delivering the full added value to the client is the way that success will be measured. Clients, however, do not have the time to log into multiple portals or download separate sets of data and reports in order to make decisions. The devices have to be interoperable so that a single view is presented to the client. The data has to dynamically show everything from utility and service expenditures to maintenance requirements, all in relation to patterns of building use and occupancy. A holistic picture of the interaction of the building and its users, needs to be understood to minimise resource use within the building. Ultimately buildings, not just the devices in the buildings, will become smart enough to adapt to occupancy patterns, leaving facility managers to concentrate on the bigger picture and allow the building to manage the routine operations.
July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 63
PP Electrical Systems
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES
Look West
Engineering staff can take an EU specification industrial control panel design and convert it into a design to meet both US and Canadian regulations and standards
Developing exports to the US and Canada could offer growth potential for machinery builders outside of traditional European markets explains PP Electrical Systems’ Tony Hague.
T
here has been a feeling for some time that the US and Canada offer significant opportunities for machinery manufacturers and we are starting to hear more and more success stories of UK companies gaining access to these lucrative markets, capitalising on demand for innovative systems and machine designs, some of which were only originally sold at home. We have a host of helpful government schemes looking to assist businesses, often spearheaded by the likes of UK Trade & Investment. However, life is never plain sailing and there are a number of issues associated with entering new markets, such as culture, administrative responsibilities, logistics and regulation. When doing business with the US and Canada, the focus should also be on securing compliance for the safety of industrial products and equipment. Regulations across the pond are different in many ways to our EU “CE” marking approach, but they are not insurmountable. At PP Electrical Systems we have over 15 years’ experience in successfully navigating and meeting regulatory requirements and we even have a US accredited factory here in the heart of the UK. This gives us the capability to manufacture industrial control panels that are fully certified to the necessary US and Canadian standards.
What are the key regulations affecting industrial control panels?
There are several organisations in the US and Canada that create safety standards and regulation. The key regulations and standards for industrial control panels are: USA: US National Electrical Code - NFPA 70 (National Fire Prevention Association standard) UL (Underwriters Laboratories) UL 508A safety standard for Industrial Control Panels NFPA 79 - Electrical standard for industrial machinery Canada: Canadian Electrical Code CAN/CSA C22.2 No.14 Industrial Control Equipment
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Typical things we need to understand include: Short circuit current rating for the panel. Often it may not be known what the requirement is, but we can advise. Enclosure type rating. A different categorisation system is used to that of the EU ‘IP’ codes. The terminals that will be wired to in the field have a bearing on the choice of approved terminals. The type of circuit protection devices. The right kind of approved component has to be used. Thermal overload protection scheme for electric motors, in accordance with the US National Electrical Code. Safety related components are expected to hold UL or CSA (Canadian Standards Association) approval. The safety standards have many requirements, but we have developed a process for meeting them in a timely, costeffective way. Our engineering team will design your entire panel or convert an existing design into one that complies in both the US and Canada.
Getting to grips with UL
The Underwriters Laboratories of the USA (UL) develops safety standards and common test methods to reduce electrical fires and has produced hundreds of safety standards covering multiple sectors.
Our factory has been accredited by UL as an authorised panel builder and PP Electrical Systems is able to apply the much sought after UL safety mark to all of its work. Engineering staff can take an EU specification industrial control panel design and convert it into a design which will meet US - and Canadian if required regulations and standards. An industrial control panel carrying the UL ‘Listing’ mark as applied by PP can be connected to the US power supply network without any further local inspection. With us as your partner, the perceived hurdle of meeting US and Canadian safety regulations is no longer there and we can help you make the most of these lucrative markets.
FURTHER INFO: For more information visit www. powerpanels.uk.com And follow us on Twitter @pp_electrical
’s
25-26 November 2015 | The ICC, Birmingham
SAVE THE DATE 25-26 NOVEMBER 2015 BOOK NOW: Tel: +44 (0)20 7401 6033 (Opt 1) Email: events@hennikgroup.com
TT Zero Challenge
Rising to the challenge Jonny Williamson travelled to the Isle of Man to uncover the innovations and late nights which result in a TT Zero Challengewinning, electric-powered motorcycle.
W
ith continual technological advancements resulting in ever-faster times and higher speeds for battery-powered bikes, the TT Zero Challenge builds on the Isle of Man TT which started in 1907 – making it the world’s oldest high-speed motorcycle race. The challenge was launched in 2010 as a
successor to the TTXGP and serves as a test-bed for future clean energy technologies, such as lithium-ion batteries. The technical criteria requires that each motorcycle must be “powered without the use of carbon-based fuels and have zero toxic/noxious emissions,” and following a handful of practice laps, the challenge culminates in a single-lap, winnertakes-all sprint around a 37.73 mile mountain course.
TEAM MUGEN
VICTORY RACING
This year is the first time the Victory-brand – the debut OEM to put its name on an electricpowered motorcycle– has been on the international stage. Victory’s bike isn’t a completely new design, unlike many of its other competitors. Instead, the American team has adapted a bike specifically developed for US race tracks. With every major OEM having an electric programme, team manager, Brian Wisemann, notes it’s pretty clear many see this as being the future.
KINGSTON UNIVERSITY
Kingston may have a particularly strong racing pedigree – being the only team to have competed at every TT Zero, but all three universities quoted numerous past successes. Graduates have gone on to be employed at the likes of JLR; Aston Martin; GE; GKN; Triumph; KTM and McLaren, among others.
Having notched up four visits, the team’s broad wealth of experience has fed into annual improvements to performance and aerodynamics, with the current bike weighing almost half as much as its 2012 equivalent. According to team general manager, , Colin Whittamore, as well as helping electric bikes gain credibility, the innovations and developments which occur in TT Zero will carry through to commercial offerings
UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM
This year is the University’s first foray into TT Zero and the team only started building the bike three months prior. With only the forks and wheels coming off-the-shelf, every other major component has been custom-fabricated by the team – a feat the university shares with its 2015 contemporaries, Kingston and Brunel.
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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES
Electrical Systems Control & Automation Solutions
BRUNEL UNIVERSITY
Course director for Brunel’s Undergrad Motorsport Engineering Programme, Koen Matthys emphasised how student-led the project is, and the importance of datagathering. “In 2015, there is more money in data acquisition than power systems. Data is crucial in better understanding energy management and provides a greater insight into not only electric vehicles, but consumer electronics,” he explained.
Are you UL confident?
TEAM SAROLÉA RACING
Your outsourcing partner
Succeeding in its aim to become the first European manufacturer to break the 100 mph mark, Torsten Robbens explains, “This is our second year and it certainly never gets any easier,” – his apparent frustration at odds with the huge smile on his face.
Manufacturing to the right standard As a manufacturer of machinery, how confident are you that you are meeting the legal and technical requirements of the US and Canadian markets? At PP we offer our customers a complete design and manufacturing solution in full accordance with the UL 508A standard and we are approved to certify the control system to that standard. This minimises the massive risks and associated costs with non-compliance.
SES TT Zero Challenge - 2015 Results: TEAM
DRIVER
TIME
AVERAGE SPEED
Team Mugen/Honda Shinden San
John McGuinness
18:58.743
119.279
Team Mugen/Honda Shinden San
Bruce Anstey
19:02.785
118.857
Victory/Parker Racing
Lee Johnston
20:16.881
111.620
Victory/Parker Racing
Guy Martin
20:37.987
109.717
Team Saroléa Racing
Robert Wislon
21:15.256
106.510
University of Nottingham
Michael Sweeney
30:56.695
73.156
n Full design capability including parts selection and layouts n Advice and solutions in relation to NFPA 79 addressing wire standards for industrial machinery
RAISE YOUR STANDARDS
FURTHER INFO: You can find an extended version of this feature on bit.ly/TTZero2015
A complete UL solution
’s website –
Book a UL seminar either at PP or on location at your premises. Understand the UL process and the true benefits to your business.
t +44 (0)1922 419109 e info@power-panels.co.uk w powerpanels.uk.com
Fully approved solutions for USA and Canada 508A
Industry 4.0
Rockwell Automation and CISCO Systems are looking to the future by delivering secure, resilient infrastructure capable of furthering fourth generation manufacturing systems.
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y now, the concepts of Manufacturing (or Industry) 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing have become solidly established. Many will have heard them being discussed at industry-related events or read about them within these very pages. The virtues and possibilities they may provide are being extolled at an almost daily rate, yet for many manufacturers, the questions of “how will this affect me” and “how can I take the appropriate first steps” aren’t so prevalent. This summer, the Manufacturing 4.0 conference – hosted by Hanley Automation in Dublin, Ireland and sponsored by Rockwell Automation – brought together 100 invited delegates to hear from some of the leading operational and information technology minds about the political, economic and practical consequences of Industry 4.0.
The era of system intelligence is here Sanjay Ravi Managing director, worldwide discrete manufacturing industry, Microsoft
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Joining Ireland’s Taoiseach (PM), Enda Kelly to speak at the event were representatives from Hanley Automation; Rockwell Automation; CISCO Systems; Microsoft, and SAS, among others. According to Rockwell Automation’s vice president of market development, John Nesi, concerns over whether these visions of the future will involve widespread upheaval to entrenched manufacturing operations can be overcome by taking less disruptive, intermediary steps today in preparation for tomorrow. “The connected enterprise is something that’s absolutely doable now, we’ve implemented it across Rockwell Automation’s global footprint to prove that it can be done. As a result, it becomes a future-proof first step that’s ultimately a pre-requisite to achieve industry 4.0.” Nesi says that as a result of global demand increasing and the margin for errors decreasing, industrial manufacturing needs to work smarter, “Success requires the right connections, enhanced by the internet of things – with almost any object utilising embedded technology to gather and transmit information.” Rockwell Automation’s connected enterprise promotes securely converging
plant floor operations technology with business-level information technology, converting information into insightful working data capital to enable better decision making. “There is a huge opportunity here for manufacturers to optimise their operations, become more demanddriven and increase sustainability,” says Nesi. “By making factories a critical cog rather than a potential stumbling block, companies can become more responsive to consumers; achieve production efficiencies and inventory reductions; take advantage of disaster forecasting and recovery, and benefit from less supply chain risk and variability.” With no one vendor or partner capable of providing a complete solution, collaboration is key to realising a truly connected enterprise. Smart assets, mobility, visualisation, information management and analytics are helping to merge IT processes (i.e. ERP, HR, SCM and CRM) with operational technology (OT) data (sensors, actuators, controllers, machines, equipment and such like), but such a progression requires seamless, secure connectivity across operations. To that effect, the strategic partnership formed between Rockwell Automation and CISCO Systems combines the former’s expertise in industrial automation and control systems, with the latter’s proficiency in networking. Maciej Kranz – CISCO Systems’ vice president, corporate technology group – explains that the connected factory will be the key driver behind enabling the
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES
Electrical Systems Control & Automation Solutions
The connected enterprise is something that’s absolutely doable now… [It’s] a future-proof first step that’s ultimately a pre-requisite to achieve industry 4.0 John Nesi Vice president of market development, Rockwell Automation
EXECUTION: Assessment Upgrade infrastructure Working data capital Analytics Collaborate and optimise
enterprise, and ultimately smart manufacturing processes.” He continues: “We don’t have to wait for the platforms necessary for a digitally connected business, i.e. device connectivity and management; data management and insights; advanced analytics, and process optimisation, to arrive, all are readily available. “The era of system intelligence is here thanks to rich data management platforms and unlimited computing capacity. For example, the opportunity for manufacturer to differentiate through the power of analytics is absolutely available now, they just need to act,” Ravi urges.
Ele ct r
l ica
TOT A
Me ch an
CHALLENGES: Organisational alignment Competency Technology adoption Data security Interoperability standards
Helping you to improve your lead times to your customer.
l ctrica Ele
ic on
IMPACT: Production efficiencies Regulatory compliance Scale Labour productivity Speed and agility
OL & AU NTR TO O LC
ulic dra Hy
The Connected Enterprise
SOLUTI ON ION AT S M Pneumati c
Industrial Internet of Everything (IoE), quoting the statistics that there will be 50bn smart objects by 2020 with a value stake estimated at US$3.9tn. “There is a huge opportunity for manufacturing over the coming half-decade with industry’s recent growth accelerating onshoring; additive manufacturing; robotic advancements, and innovation,” he says. “CISCO and Rockwell Automation have more than 10,000 joint customers globally, and our strategy breaks down to; Phase 1 – drive industrial migration to EtherNet/IP, Phase 2 – develop joint architectures, i.e. , and Phase 3 – build united solutions.” For firms looking to embrace the IoE, Kranz suggests connecting every device; implementing open standards; identifying solutions based on modular architectures; leveraging cloud-capability; converging IT and OT; embracing industry partnerships, and nominating an IoE champion. Sanjay Ravi – managing director, worldwide discrete manufacturing industry for Microsoft, which is collaborating with both Rockwell Automation and CISCO – notes that we need to “reimagine manufacturing” in a connected world, a mindset shift that relies on the IoE being supported by the “Internet of People”. Echoing the notion that industry collaboration will be critical moving forward, Ravi explains; “Working with partner ecosystems helps reduce the time, risk and cost of realising a connected
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The University of Birmingham shares how it has advanced knowledge and proficiency in the development of defence technologies.
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he University of Birmingham has developed significant expertise in the advancement, and uses, of defence technologies. This interdisciplinary approach to research both in terms of policy and engineering enables organisations collaborating with the university to benefit from the latest technological developments set in the wider context of regulation and adaption. The wide range of research being
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conducted in this area demonstrates the continuing relevance and applicability of this technology to both military and civilian contexts. The work of the Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security focuses on both the security implications of the military deployment of drones and how drones can be used in civilian, commercial, and humanitarian operations. How the technology can be developed and adapted to maximise capabilities in these very different fields is a key question the university is investigating and would like to discuss and collaborate further with civilian and military partners. The findings of the Birmingham Policy Commission on ‘The Security Impact of Drones’, have particular resonance for industry and manufacturers in terms of affordability, compatibility, and regulation. Technological innovation and the related release of funding
resources in the military sphere are driven by operational need, which can be capricious. At the opening of Parliament in May, the government undertook to deliver a full strategic defence and security review, the outcome of which is likely to be published later this year. This document, along with the National Security Strategy, will outline the UK’s strategic objectives and will indicate the level of future investment in remotely piloted aircraft systems. The benefits for the RPA industry in the UK and elsewhere are considerable, as developments like Sense and Avoid and greater degrees of automation become established as never before. As they do, the University of Birmingham will be at the forefront of those developments, exploiting the opportunities and analysing the implications for public and policy makers alike.
University of Birmingham
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES
MANUFACTURING EXPERTISE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM Human Interface Technology (HIT) The HIT team at the University of Birmingham has been pioneering the development of virtual/augmented reality and telepresence/telerobotics technologies, with over 30 years’ experience in simulation, robotics and human factors. The HIT team focus on aerospace, defence and healthcare to provide training aids, remote control systems and interfaces, rehabilitation and systems to optimise the human users effectiveness with technology.
Synthetic Biology
Synthetic Biology at Birmingham (SB²) brings a truly multidisciplinary approach to the challenges and opportunities offered in this area identified as an important growth sector by the UK Government. Researchers from Biosciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Geography & Earth Sciences, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Medical School, Law, Materials & Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering have built collaborations to develop synthetic biology solutions for the development of novel materials (Smart Materials, personal protection), diagnosis & detection, energy/energy harvesting and high sensitivity biosensors.
Quantum Technology & Metamaterials
The EPSRC Quantum Technology Hub for Metrology and Sensing and its partners in industry and academia are working together to exploit the capability of quantum technology for many sectors including defence, utilities and communications. Physicists and engineers are collaborating to develop applications for this technology that include gravity sensors that are able to ‘see through’ solid matter and an optical lattice clock several orders of magnitude more accurate than the currently available technology. The Meta Materials Group, located in the School of Physics and Astronomy is looking at the optical and acoustic properties of materials with negative refractive indices with applications as disruptive as an invisibility cloak and acoustic cloaking of audible signatures
to enhance health and safety or increase stealth.
Robotics & AI
The Intelligent Robotics Lab at the University of Birmingham work on a range of fields including the development of algorithms to enable robots to learn, see, communicate and plan. Expertise includes computer vision (currently running one of the worlds most sophisticated visual tracking algorithms), manipulation (allowing robots to learn new shapes/objects and plan how nest to grip and lift them autonomously). Research into robotics applications for the security sector has also been developed, examining how robotic platforms can carry out patrol duties usually undertaken by a human.
Cyber Security
The Computer Security & Privacy Group at the University of Birmingham is one of GCHQs Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security. Research is undertaken in critical underpinning technologies such as cryptography, security for cloud computing, hardware & software security, web & network security, e-voting, verification and data authentication protocols. Current projects on Industrial Control Systems with a focus on the energy and transport sectors and connectivity of devices for the automotive industry show the everyday applications of cyber security and its crucial role in modern society.
Space Environment and Radio Frequency Engineering
The underpinning research theme of this group is to measure, model, and mitigate the effects of the ionosphere on radio systems such as GPS, high frequency communications and radars. Current activities include the development of a satellite payload to measure the ionospheric effects on future space radar systems. This research is supported by a DSTL/RAEng sponsored chair who undertakes projects in collaboration with a range of organisations.
Materials Research
Lighter aircraft require less fuel, so we are working on lighter materials for aerospace and defence applications. Our materials research is addressing challenges in magnets for electricity generation/distribution, personal and platform protection and materials for hydrogen storage. We are also refining novel processing techniques to reduce energy use and waste in the manufacture and repair of components.
Netshape Manufacturing
Our Netshape Centre is host to one of the Country’s most well equipped laboratories of its kind. We have formed strategic partnerships with many multi-national companies involved in the design and build of next-generation engines and airframes. We are pioneering research into new materials and production processes for aircraft and defence components, minimising energy use in manufacture while reducing overall weight.
Communications, Microwave Devices and Systems
We have a broad range of research centered on the applications of microwave technology into communications and radar, and on novel aspects of network design with research funding from the EU, research councils, MoD and industry. Research covers both basic science and applications. An example of basic science is the work on materials such as dielectrics, ferroelectrics and superconductors. FURTHER INFO: We want to work with you. Mr Tim Yates, Business Engagement Marketing and Communications Manager, University of Birmingham T: +44 (0)121 414 8635 E: t.yates.1@bham.ac.uk July/August 2015 | Issue 6 | Volume 18 | www.themanufacturer.com 71
Electronic lines The electronics industry is pushing ERP vendors to stretch traditional MRPI and MRPII logic in some very interesting directions. IT Editor Malcolm Wheatley reports.
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t Aylesbury-based electronics manufacturer Nordson DAGE, an EFACS E/8 ERP system from Exel Computer Systems is being credited with building tighter integration with the company’s Chinese manufacturing facility, improving visibility, and building a tighter, leaner supply chain. Meanwhile, at AccuSpec Electronics, Infor’s SyteLine ERP solution is being praised for delivering an annual ROI of over 400%, while driving up on time delivery rates to 94% and reducing inventory by over 25%. Nor are such benefits exceptional: routinely, manufacturers invest in ERP for just these very reasons. For with its roots in the MRPI and MRPII computer systems developed in the 1970s to meet the inventory control and production planning needs of assemblybased industries, delivering such gains very much lies at the heart of ERP’s mission. Yet while superficially similar to a number of other assembly-based industries, electronics has some subtle differences, differences that are significant enough to prompt electronics manufacturers to add some very specific features and capabilities to their “must have” ERP requirements definitions. Strategically, for instance, the industry’s fast pace of innovation and short product lifecycles imposes
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planning and operational disciplines that are rarely found elsewhere, says Josh Clark, vice-president of hitech industry value engineering at ERP giant SAP. “Time-to-market is a powerful driver: there’s a real need to be able to detect market changes and react to them quickly,” he points out. “Consequently, ensuring the integrity and consistency of the information within the planning process is very important.” Phil Lewis, senior director for solutions consulting at Infor, concurs, pointing to a direct link between the pressures faced by the industry and the capabilities that it is looking for in its ERP systems. “Compared to some other industries, electronics manufacturers have to be incredibly innovative, incredibly quick to market, and yet operate on razorthin margins,” he notes. “And they’re looking to ERP technology to help them address some of those challenges and alleviate some of the pressures.” An example in case is pricing, argues David Cann,
ERP
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IT IN MANUFACTURING
To fit the bill, an ERP system needs to have some very definite “electronics friendly” capabilities
pre-sales consultant at ERP vendor KCS Datawright. “Batch-based pricing—where each batch has a different price—is quite common, as is discount-based pricing based on product volumes, or usage of set levels of components from particular suppliers,” he points out. “It’s about negotiating deals with suppliers, back to back with customer orders, and saying ‘We’ll buy a set amount from you, for a period of time.’ In each case, an electronics manufacturer’s ERP system needs to be flexible enough to cope.” That said, it’s at the operational level that some of the most specific electronics industry requirements occur. To fit the bill, an ERP system needs to have some very definite “electronics friendly” capabilities. “Every industry has its peculiarities, but electronics certainly has a good number of peculiarities not found elsewhere,” adds Jonathan Orme, sales and marketing manager at Exel Computer Systems. “Whether it’s testing, or serialisation, or change control, or the high level of orderspecific documentation required, electronics manufacturing has some unique characteristics.” Take the extensive use of “free issue” customer supplied parts, for instance, a practice commonly found in contract electronic manufacturing. It arises because customers want to exert control over the procurement process, either because they can get better terms than the contract manufacturer, or to protect their own intellectual property, or in
order to make sure that very specific components are used. “Free issue can be quite extensive, and it’s usually linked to a requirement for ‘contract pegging’ too, in order to link specific parts to specific contracts, and ensure that they’re not used elsewhere,” says KCS Datawright’s Cann. “The challenge is being able to work effectively alongside free-issue components, without generating confusion.” Fairly obviously, for instance, freeissue components don’t have to be purchased, despite being in a bill of material. But they do have to be present before manufacture can commence, and accounted for afterwards, with any surplus returned to store for correct disposition—reuse, for instance, or return to customer. So again, ERP must be able to cope. MRP-style bill of material “backflushing” is also an important requirement, adds Neil Ferguson-Lee, lead solutions architect at Microsoft Dynamics AX specialist eBECS. “Electronics manufacturers put through products hundreds at a time, each densely-populated with components,” he points out. “Accounting for each of those components individually would be a significant challenge—it’s much easier to say: ‘We’ve built that many finished products, therefore we must have used the components that go into them’, and just backflush, based on the quantities in the bill of materials.” Similarly, he adds, electronics manufacturers’ approach to Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) is subtly different from that found elsewhere, in that it tends to be more granular, in part driven by that same backflushing logic. “With usage-based VMI, what you see is not manufacturers saying: ‘We have used a reel of capacitors’, but instead saying ‘Based on today’s production, we have used 176 from this reel of capacitors, and that’s the quantity that we will self-invoice you for’,” he explains. And the industry’s fast pace of innovation isn’t simply taking place at the product level: components, too, are in a constant state of churn. “Electronics is a strange world, in that the product is always changing,” reflects Infor’s Lewis. “You’re always bringing in new components, and obsoleting old ones: change
UT LOOK O EY RV FOR SU G COMIN SOON! 57% 100% 75% 50% 25% 0%
The industry’s fast pace of innovation and short product lifecycles imposes” planning and operational disciplines that are rarely found elsewhere
management is a huge issue—and again, an electronics manufacturer’s ERP system needs to be able to handle it.” Along with, of course, the consequent challenge of traceability, and maintaining a correct “as built” record over a product’s lifecycle. While semiconductor usage may be fairly stable, “as built” usage of other components—capacitors, resistors, diodes and so on—will reflect whatever pricing deals are available, given such components’ generic nature. Roll it all together, and it’s clear that the electronics industry has pushed ERP vendors to stretch traditional MRPI and MRPII logic in some very interesting directions. The good news for other— non-electronics—manufacturers is that for the most part, ERP vendors tend to make these capabilities available to all their customers, either on request, or as part of the standard product offering, but disabled in non-electronics environments. So if—say—backflushing or differential pricing appeals, it’s probably easier to achieve than you might imagine.
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Epicor
IT IN MANUFACTURING
Sowing the seeds of growth Fife Fabrications reveals how it reduced lead times by 65% with Epicor.
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ife Fabrications (FiFab) has a strong heritage in precision sheet metalwork and the company is recognised as one of the most advanced manufacturers in the industry. With over 40 years’ experience, FiFab offers a complete subcontract service for customers in the UK and overseas. From design to manufacturing and from delivery to support, customers rely on FiFab to help them find innovative solutions to a range of project requirements. The full implementation of Epicor ERP within the business has greatly streamlined business processes and provided the head room to introduce and sustain continuous improvement (CI) as part of the day to day requirements. The introduction of task related dashboards ensures the right person is working on the right job at the right time throughout the quote-to-cash process reducing lead times by up to 65% and ensuring 98% on-time delivery performance.
A green legacy
FiFab have always been recognised as market leaders but it became clear that customer demands and expectations were fundamentally changing – demands fluctuated and lead times were reducing. It was becoming apparent that the existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution was straining to offer the flexibility required to meet customer demands. The green screen DOS system, which was over 20 years old, did not provide the visibility required to ensure staff, throughout the quote-tocash process, worked on the right job at the right time. As part of FiFab’s continuous improvement programme a project team started to review the ERP market. The goal was to reduce lead times, offering customers greater flexibility, and to provide this at a highly competitive total cost of acquisition. This required
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an ERP solution that was flexible and that fundamentally enhanced business processes. After a thorough business process review and requirements analysis FiFab partnered with Epicor, implementing Epicor ERP.
From quote-to-cash
Subcontract manufacturing demands reduced lead times and low total cost of acquisition with customer orders becoming increasingly service orientated. These requirements allow little room for waste within the quoteto-cash processes in order to remain competitive and maintain market share. For FiFab the implementation of a new ERP system was seen as a key driver in solidifying the already strong business platform allowing them to process more customer requirements, more quickly and with less waste throughout the quote-to-cash process. Focus is applied at the quotation stage and process data sets have been engineered to ensure transparency for both the customer and the design/engineering team. With automated manufacturing resource planning (MRP) controlling supply and demand production staff have been released to better manage the make process with the live scheduling in Epicor ensuring the flow of work around the shop floor. Material handlers guarantee the correct work is processed through the correct operation at the correct time driving production to meet customer requirements ensuring satisfaction in terms of delivery performance against ever reducing lead times. “Epicor offers all the tools required in a make-to-order and make-to-stock manufacturing environment out of the box, providing visibility in the form of live dashboards. We can manage by exception because 80% of the orders are handled by our standard processes
within our ERP solution. When intervention is required it is apparent at the earliest possible stage meaning we can deal with exceptions and still deliver in line with customer expectations,” explains Roberto.
Reducing lead times
Since working with Epicor, FiFab has dramatically reduced its lead times by up to 65%. Time between receiving a sales order and raising a job used to take the team 10+ working days. However, with Epicor ERP in place, this has been cut to just one to two working days. The team puts this success down to process improvements through the company’s CI programme – an ethos that thrives due to Epicor ERP providing the head room for staff to contribute. With the reduction in lead times, FiFab is also able to better meet increasing demand. Over 98% of its deliveries are now made on time. ERP project consultant Roberto Morris explains, “FiFab’s ERP implementation has been transformational; providing the company with fully scheduled work to lists throughout the quote-to-cash cycle ensuring customer focused departments can deliver the right product to the right customer at the right time – every time. Process sets have been engineered into the product at the design stage acting both as stage gates to ensure quality and as key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure process control.”
Planting the seeds for business growth
Customer focus continues to drive FiFab’s CI programme with Epicor ERP reporting live company KPIs ensuring the business model is in line with customer expectations. Offering a standard lead time on a mature product of two weeks with 98% on-time delivery performance, customers can depend on FiFab as a key supplier within the supply chain. To sustain this, FiFab’s investment programme has spent over £2m in the last two years, making them well placed for continued business success. Morris concludes, “Our plant is the life blood of our work so the ability to invest in new equipment is significant for us – it means we will be able to continue to increase productivity, reduce lead times and lead the way in high quality subcontract manufacturing.”
in association with
RE-IMAGINING MANUFACTURING: H O W C U T T I N G - E D G E I . T. I S T R A N S F O R M I N G Y O U R B U S I N E S S
Manufacturing is changing. This free report can help you to find out how, says The Manufacturer’s Contributing IT Editor, Malcolm Wheatley. What is manufacturing actually about? Most of us instinctively feel that we know. Yet one only has to look at how the UK’s manufacturing sector has evolved over the past fifteen years to see the changes that have taken place. Manufacturing’s mission has changed, for instance. Mass production of commoditised products still has its place, to be sure. But that place is shrinking. Instead, today’s manufacturers are more focused than ever on adding value, getting closer to their customers, and adding intelligence and hitech capabilities to their products. And manufacturing’s toolset and sources of competitive edge are changing too. Again, low-cost production has its place, but customers want to see those low costs reflected in manufacturers’ manufacturing and supply chain processes, not in the products that they buy. Roll it all together, in short, and the business of manufacturing is being re-imagined around a model that is smarter, faster, nimbler, better informed, and more productive. But re-imagined how, exactly? Over the last few months, we’ve attempted to answer this
question, carrying out a series of interviews with a team of Microsoft manufacturing experts led by Colin Masson, Microsoft’s global industry director for manufacturing and distribution. And the picture is encouraging, on a number of fronts. First, a number of emerging technologies have a bearing on the question, and can deliver practical help. So if you’ve been putting off exploring exactly what big data, the internet of things, additive manufacturing, cloud deployment, and Industry 4.0 mean for manufacturers, then delay no longer. Moreover, take the opportunity to explore how these can leverage, and in turn be leveraged by, ERP and CRM. New business models, and new ways of better serving customers, quickly emerge. Second, there’s an undoubted “network effect”. The more capabilities that a manufacturer adds, the more those technologies and the connections between them act to reinforce and add value to each other. Put mobile devices and analytics on the factory floor, for instance, and see customer satisfaction metrics improve. That might not have been the prime intended objective behind the deployment, to be sure, but such secondary effects can be very compelling. Third, some equally compelling real-life use cases have emerged. In short, what Microsoft is calling “Intelligent Operations” has a solid grounding in what real-life businesses like yours are achieving today.
And fourthly, the price of admission can be low. Leveraging the cloud, and leveraging technologies that are delivered as a service, means it costs very little to start exploring exactly how all this can benefit your manufacturing business, through “proof-ofconcept” deployments. Where to start? Handily, a number of these interviews with these experts have been gathered together in a single, on-line report, “RE-IMAGINING MANUFACTURING: HOW CUTTING EDGE IT IS TRANSFORMING YOUR BUSINESS”. Better still, the report has been organised into high-level topic areas: analytics; mobile deployment; the internet of things; and so on, making it easy to quickly locate the topic areas of greatest interest to your manufacturing business.
To take a look, visit: reimaginingmanufacturing.co.uk
Terry Scuoler - EEF
TALK OF THE INDUSTRY
Is remedial basic literacy for adults more important for the nation than village post offices? Should educating tomorrow’s employees get higher priority than technology partnerships with today’s employers?
In for a penny EEF CEO Terry Scuoler asks whether spending priorities are clearly focused on safeguarding a prosperous future economy.
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he next Spending Review will have critical implications for manufacturing and business support. In general terms, business believes in balancing the books and has been telling the British government to follow its example. Unless firms want to pay more tax that means the nation’s 4.8% of GDP deficit is going to need to be eliminated by spending cuts. What does that mean for the bits of government spending business cares about? The current Department for Business (BIS) budget is, in the Whitehall jargon, both large and unprotected. The latter means that it is not one of the politically high-profile budgets like schools, foreign aid, and the National Health Service, which have been guaranteed an exemption from spending reductions. If total spending falls in line with the government’s previously-published plans, making space for those
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privileged public services implies on EEF’s arithmetic an average cut of 18% for all other departments by 2018-19. Working out just what this means for BIS is far from straightforward, as – putting prudence ahead of transparency – government departments didn’t publish detailed spending plans for the current year before the election. The total planned current spend by BIS in 2015-16 is some £12bn, about four-fifths of which if student loans and grants are included is keeping universities and FE colleges in business. Spending on industry is, in cash terms, actually quite modest. An 18% cut on that total is worth over £2bn but given government is committed to protecting the science budget, with luck, that shrinks the cut to just over £1bn on the remaining non-science £7bn. That protection is good news for scientists, but makes the scope for hard choices even narrower. Is remedial basic literacy for
adults more important for the nation than village post offices? Should educating tomorrow’s employees get higher priority than technology partnerships with today’s employers? Tot up all the things business has said are vital, and there simply isn’t room for all of them within the budget BIS is likely to be left with. Prioritisation is therefore important. But it should take place within a bigger picture and the first prioritisation to make is at a higher level, between government departments rather than within them. Across-the-board percentage cuts at the same flat rate for every department might feel fair because they deliver equal pain to Ministers and their officials. Their impact, however, on the country can be much less than sensible or fair. Pretty much all the business department’s spending is on things that will improve the future productivity and competitiveness of the nation, either by building the skills of the workforce or by developing new technologies and processes. Elsewhere in Whitehall, budgets provide for public services – services which only a prosperous nation can afford. Like a business, government needs to recognise that investment is a precondition of future earning power: failing to put money into developing a more productive economy will limit our future ability to buy ourselves social care, public libraries and other amenities. Past governments used a rather muddling slogan about “investment in public services”. In fact, the choice on the table is really between investment now, which creates the potential to afford public services in the future, and supporting public services in the short-term at the expense of long-term prosperity. Both economically and chronologically, investment in future productivity growth has to come first.
Recruitment
The specialists in manufacturing Hennik Recruitment is part of the Hennik Group, publisher of The Manufacturer magazine; the premier UK industry publication providing manufacturing news, articles and insights. We are a specialist recruitment consultancy dealing exclusively 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. Contact us if you have any vacancies and are interested in recruiting or would like to submit your CV to be considered for current or future opportunities.
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