News Industry


Comment The Manufacturing Institute has urged manufacturers to innovate and expand into new markets if they want to survive and grow. The Institute has outlined three areas that it believes small and medium-sized manufactur- ers should focus on: innovation, expanding into new markets and building and developing future talent. It is also launching a £2.4m Growth Programme for manufacturing SMEs in the North West, to help them find and win new customers, develop new products and maximise sales and profitability.


Reports from many exhibitors at this year's Total Processing & Packaging exhibition, which attracted 8,731


visitors, are a hint that the economy may be starting to turn a corner. Organisers said not only were there some important European companies exhibiting but there were also many first-time exhibitors. Among the success stories, Olympus Automation took £1million pounds worth of orders, while packaging partners Quasar Automation and Illpack secured a significant contract to install a new biscuit processing line within five minutes of the show opening. Many other companies also reported high levels of good quality sales leads and product enquiries and this can only be a sign of good things to come for this industry. We congratulate the winner of the Ones to Watch competition, Andrew Speck, commercial and environmental packaging manager at Marks & Spencer, as well as Innopak, which won the show’s Packaging Design Challenge. Heather Ramsden - Editor


Fast access to Russia


TÜV SÜD Product Service has launched a Customs Union certification service for exports to Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. This includes equipment which falls under the technical regula- tions covering safety of machinery and equipment, and electromag- netic compatibility (EMC). Russia is the UK’s fastest growing export market and, under new rules, machinery must gain certification before it’s accepted into the Customs Union countries. TÜV SÜD provides a complete certification service, supported by its experts in both the UK and Russia. The process usually take up to one working week. www.tuv-sud.co.uk


Events


The Energy Event 10-11 September, NEC, Birmingham www.theenergyevent.com


The RWM show 10-11 September, NEC, Birmingham www.rwmexhibition.com


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The programme, made possi- ble through investment from the European Regional Development


Programme helps manufacturers win new customers


Fund (ERDF), will develop the skills of 900 manufacturers through leadership and manage- ment masterclasses and company-specific coaching, enabling manufacturers across the region to learn how ‘best-in- class’ companies are successfully growing their businesses. Expert guidance will be pro- vided by senior manufacturing leaders and entrepreneurs including: • Nigel Blenkinsop (director, powertrain operations, Jaguar Land Rover)


• Frank Hayden (former group manufacturing director, Rolls- Royce) • Vanda Murray (Manchester Airport Group, Carillion)


• Matthew Kimpton-Smith (MD, Cygnet Group)


• Jim Sumner (former chief executive, Optare)


The Manufacturing Institute’s newly-appointed Growth Champion, Mike Innes, said: “The most successful companies are those with a clear plan to grow their business and the Growth Programme is a real opportunity for North West man- ufacturers to pinpoint new market opportunities and stay ahead of the competition.” Find out more about the Growth Programme by calling 0161 875 2525 or by visiting www.manufacturinginstitute.co. uk/growth


Best-practice for compressed air use in food & beverage New best practice guidance for food and


beverage processors on the safe and effi- cient use of compressed air has been unveiled by the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS). Prepared in conjunction with BRC Global Standards, the guide is designed to help processors make informed deci- sions relating to compressor systems operating at a pressure greater than 0.5bar. It includes information on what type of compressed air equipment could be used, how it should be installed, maintained and audited and, importantly, the levels of air purity required to reduce the risk of contamination.


The new guidelines supersede BCAS’s Food Grade Code of Practice, which was


issued in 2007. One of the major changes to the document is the increased focus on compressed air as part of a pre-requisite programme (PRP), rather than within the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) activity. A PRP addresses basic operational conditions, such as good hygiene practices, and is considered essential in establishing a sound founda- tion prior to the application of HACCP or other food safety management systems. Welcoming the new guidelines, David Brackston, technical director food schemes at BRC Global Standards said: “The BRC Global Standards are pleased to have been asked to be involved in the development of the new guidelines. www.bcas.org.uk


Manufacturers still shunning WiFi New acs facility


A Vanson Bourne survey commissioned by Enterasys Networks found that just under a quarter of UK businesses in the manufacturing sector do not provide WiFi access to their staff when in the office.


Almost half blamed lack of security while a third cited lack of bandwidth as a problem. Budget for installing WiFi at work was not an issue – barely a handful listed cost as a barrier to deployment of WiFi in the office. Conversely, the vast majority of UK manufacturers surveyed do permit staff access to the corpo- rate network via a WiFi connec- tion while working remotely – whether at home, an airport lounge or pretty much anywhere else offering WiFi connectivity. Mark Pearce, strategic alliance


director at Enterasys Networks believes these attitudes towards WiFi security and bandwidth within manufacturing are outdated. He feels such double standards undermine any true concerns about security and suggest apathy and underinvest- ment in the mobile technologies that are reshaping how UK manufacturers compete today. Pearce said: “A fully mobile workforce – where mobility stretches from inside the ware- house to the remote worker – helps the manufacturing sector maximise the productivity of their staff. To read Pearce’s five top tips for manufacturers who are yet to adopt WiFi but want to, you can visit the Enterasys newsroom on its website www.enterasys.com


Based upon its performance results and growth over recent years, Air Cleaning Systems (acs) has now moved from its previous Cardiff location to a larger 24,000sq/ft facility in Pontyclun, near Llantrisant, South Wales. Managing Director, Mr Mark Lemkey said: “The new building is over 30 per cent larger and this will give us room for expansion. The move has enabled us to create a workflow system through the new site, which will improve our processes and throughput. www.acs-ltd.com


JULY/AUGUST 2013 Factory Equipment


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