FEATURE
SHATTERING THE MYTHS
How has the manufacturing industry changed in the past few decades? Ryan Lloyd, Editor of Tomorrow’s FM, talks to CMD Ltd about the sector’s transformation and how the company is trying to attract a more diverse workforce.
Increasing the UK’s manufacturing capabilities and capacity is a key element of the Government’s strategy for ‘building back better’ across both traditional and emerging industries. For electrical manufacturer CMD, which produces power distribution and workstation power products at its Rotherham factory, that’s a welcome commitment. The company understands, however, that reducing the UK’s reliance on imported goods involves delivering lean and efficient manufacturing operations, alongside recruitment and training of talented, career- focused individuals.
Jon Holding, General Manager of CMD Ltd explains: “Manufacturing has changed significantly over the past few decades, with equipment, lean management strategies and automation all playing a role in helping scale-up throughput and increase capacity.
“But those have not been the only changes. We have also moved from a culture where manufacturing was seen as an aspirational career path to one where it is rarely a first choice for young people leaving school. We need to change that by demonstrating the opportunities the manufacturing sector offers for training, promotion, flexible lifestyles and job satisfaction in order to attract a more diverse workforce of people who see it as a long- term career, rather than just a job. Those are goals we are delivering at CMD.”
Career path With a diverse range of roles, a clear pay structure and
20 | TOMORROW’S FM
plenty of opportunities for progression, CMD makes a compelling case for working in the company’s Rotherham factory. One of the business’ factory floor team, Carly Glynn, highlights the potential for manufacturing roles to appeal to a wider demographic.
Aged 25 when she joined the company, Carly had previously worked in an office environment as a HR supervisor. Her father and two of her uncles already worked in CMD’s factory and she was keen to follow in their footsteps in a hands-on role.
“At school I’d wanted to go into mechanical engineering,” Carly explains, “but I’d been discouraged because I was a girl, and I ended up taking a very conventional route into an office job. I didn’t mind the role but it was always in the back of my mind that I wanted to do something more hands-on, so applied for a job in the factory.”
Carly’s first role at CMD was in the production department making floor boxes for electrical installations.
“People assume that if you work on a production line you’ll be doing boring, repetitive work, but in my experience, that’s not the case at all. I learned new skills from day one, getting to grips with the technical aspects of production. One of the things I loved from the outset is that no two days are the same. CMD is an agile business that makes products to order, often tailoring the exact specification to meet the customer’s requirements, so my role was very varied from the beginning.”
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