NEWS COMMENT


Welcome to the Autumn issue of UK Manufacturing. The COVID-19


pandemic has forced companies across all industries to adapt to a new landscape or risk being left behind. With technology playing a crucial role in helping society become more resilient in a crisis, it is no wonder that manufacturing leaders have needed to accelerate their automation and digital transformation plans. On page 18 we find out how collaborative robots can transform the factory floor and enhance productivity. We also find out how warehouse digitalisation can make operations more efficient on page 32.


VictoriaWhite, Editor


Make uk backS initiative to help ManufacturerS retain young talent


M


ake UK is backing a new initiative by support platform Next Gen Makers to help manufacturing and engineering


employers retain apprenticeship talent and maximise their investment in young people. As official training provider partner, Make UK


will help to promote and develop the Engineering Apprenticeships: Best Practice Programme – an initiative designed to support firms to overcome skills challenges and build talent for future success. In what is regarded as a first for the UK


manufacturing and engineering industry, the programme equips manufacturers with the tools they need to better plan for, attract and retain apprentices. It provides a host of best practice


resources and peer to peer discussion forums to enable engineering and manufacturing firms of all sizes to replicate proven methods adopted by others that have successfully run


apprenticeship schemes for some time. Make UK


welcomes over 400 apprentices every year to its world-class Technology Hub in Aston, Birmingham, from customers including Jaguar Land Rover, Severn Trent, Ishida and Ibstock. Stephen Mitchell, director of Apprentices


and Technical Training at Make UK said: “We know through our members that retaining young talent is just as much of a challenge as attracting them in the first place – and when a business has invested time and money in a young person, they want to see the long-term benefits, as well as helping the sector bridge the skills gap we currently face.”


www.makeuk.org


Some events need to be recorded as soon as possible because the written evidence the record provides can significantly impact your future. Tempus- Recordum provides systems that meet these needs, as Stan Ratcliffe explains... Here is a typical “Good News “ report:


manufactures you will want to adopt this. Many senior people in business are complacent and causing their company a serious problem which holds back profits. Health & Safety (H&S) is almost universally hated except by the dedicated “experts” and they do not help by focusing on the bad news. Bad news has the attention both internally and in the press column-inches. New ideas are greeted with - “You can’t do that it’s not safe” or “you have to do it this way because it’s safer”. Although they maybe right, they are not helpful. Good news can counter the doubters and H&S


W


should concentrate on the good news. Noting how you have been hazard aware and the preventative actions taken have meant there have not been entries in the incident book. Without such records you have no evidence


to prove you have effective safety systems and the law will take the view that a clean accident book is merely luck. The law is not helpful especially when faced


with a claim for damages under either employer or public liability. This happens more frequently than you might think. In the last six years there have been over 1.1 million cases and over ninety five per cent have been successful. This has cost billions of pounds. The complacent business leaves this to insurance.


Whilst a constant check for the cheapest cover is essential, if you have the H&S good news you can reduce premiums and ward off claims sending No Win No Fee (NWNF) lawyers back to their chambers.


UKManufacturing Autumn 2021 If you can drill down to a specific situation then


even if an incident did occur your good news, made before anything went wrong, is evidence to show contributory negligence which can reduce a claim by as much as 90 per cent. Enough to discourage a NWNF lawyer working under a Damages Based Agreement to give up. So are you going to be a complacent business or


are you going to adopt some form of good news recording to reap all the benefits that are available?


www.tempus-recordum.com


arning - this is controversial. But if you like innovation and being at the forefront, then whatever your business


Making hiStory count Made SMarter createS Sixty digital leaderS


innovative Leadership Programme. Five cohorts of managers and directors at


S Although a number of hazards were observed


and money was spent on preventative action there were no entries in the accident book which shows how successful your H&S systems are.


SME manufacturing companies have now completed the Made Smarter Leadership Programme through the Lancaster University Management School, the University of Liverpool and Manchester Metropolitan University. The programme encourages current and


future leaders to develop a new way of looking at their business and create a clear strategy to enable the adoption of digital technology, including how that can drive the net zero agenda. It uses a blend of workshops delivered


by academics and experts in digital and leadership, site visits to SME manufacturers who are already on the journey of adopting digital technology, facilitated-learning sessions, and special project ‘sprints’ to test new ideas. The programme also uses peer-to-peer


coaching to create a trusted network of leaders, many of whom have remained in close contact. With 60 SME leaders now empowered to


transform their businesses, manufacturers across the North West are now being encouraged to register their interest for the next cohort intake, starting on 10 November at Lancaster University.


madesmarter.uk 5


ixty digital leaders now have the vision and the skills to pursue smarter manufacturing through Made Smarter’s


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