Feature
Manufacturing
The iscoming
Gregory McDonald (pictured), MD of Midlands-based injection-moulding specialists, the Goodfish Group, explains why the Midlands Engine and the Fourth Industrial Revolution are music to his ears.
Unlocking the region’s potential Despite the Midlands being at the centre of the Industrial Revolution, it is probably fair to say that region did not lead the world into the second and third industrial revolutions. However, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, aka 4IR, with its focus on rationalising the supply chain through disruptive use of automation, data and connectivity, provides a new opportunity for agile firms in the region to position themselves as early adopters, in this new era. At the same time, the arrival of the Midlands Engine as a lobby for the
interests of the region is extremely welcome. Its mission “to position the Midlands as a major UK and European gateway, unlocking the region’s potential and supporting growth across every sector” should therefore include a 4IR strategy, in order to create a thriving environment for businesses to flourish.
Disrupting a sector At Goodfish Group, we set out to be innovative and highly efficient from the inception of the group, in 2010. Our vision from a standing start was to grow to
£20m turnover by 2020 - disrupting a sector traditionally made up of small “mom and pop” shops. From the outset, a pre- requisite was an exceptional focus on quality and the use of every possible advantage we could gain in order to raise efficiency and optimise productivity. Embracing the ideology and
practice of 4IR is consistent with our drive to disrupt the injection- moulding sector. All new administration and finance systems we implement are cloud-based and we are assessing new electronic quality management systems and remote machine monitoring, to automate and streamline the business further. By adopting 4IR technologies to enable connectivity, flexibility and
agility, we believe businesses like Goodfish will be able to significantly increase productivity.
A fourth facility in Slovakia The looming clouds of uncertainty precipitated by Brexit, is something that Goodfish, like most SMEs, can do little about. Instead we concentrate on what is within our control, investing in equipment, automation, training and 4IR innovations to enable highly efficient production of plastic injection- moulded and vacuum-formed components for customers in the UK, the EU and beyond. The emergence of the Midlands Engine and 4IR combine to make these exciting times for us. Now one of the region’s growth success stories, the Goodfish Group, currently employs 126 people across our three factories in Worcester, Loughborough and Cannock, with plans for a fourth facility in Slovakia by 2019.
Larger projects for existing and new customers The integration of Goodfish East Midlands into the Group 2017 is a good example of our growth strategy.
44 CHAMBERLINK December 2017/January 2018 Its focus on mouldings, formings and sub-assemblies for the point of sale
industry dilutes our growing automotive business in Cannock and Worcester. This has long been part of our plan, as we don’t want any one sector to
account for more than a third of the Group’s total turnover. The additional moulding capacity enables us to take on larger projects
for existing and new customers, without the risk of testing our capacity levels. Our moulding press range now extends upwards to 1,000 tonnes, allowing us to take on a wider range of work, while the vacuum-forming capability provides existing customers with additional options when considering the development of new products.
In summary, the 4IR will see the increased use of sensors and data
collection to facilitate the creation of new products, processes and increased integration. The outcome will be greater coordination within supply chains, the tracking of assets and integrated business planning and production. This dawn of a new wave of innovation provides the manufacturers of
the Midlands, like the Goodfish Group, an opportunity to embrace technologies capable of raising productivity to world-class standards. Indeed, it’s vital that they do so, in order to avoid the Midlands and indeed the whole of the UK missing the boat. It may be some time before the next revolution comes along.
revolution
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