November 23, 2012 News This article was originally published on the Birmingham Post website,23.11.12. Automotive supply chain firms have a “golden opportunity” – but they must work with manufacturers and financiers to address a lack of capacity, experts have warned. Those were some of the messages that emerged at a special event organised by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders in Solihull where more than 125 UK-based suppliers were told car manufacturing in Britain was flourishing thanks to companies like Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, BMW, Toyota, Honda and General Motors. There is a chance for companies in the supply chain to cash in on the UK’s booming automotive industry but they need to be supported by lenders and investment in tooling is an issue that needs to be tackled. Around 25 lenders – including Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, Royal Bank of Scotland and Santander – were also present at the SMMT’s Meet the Funder event which aimed to provide a form to discuss the financial needs of the UK’s £4.8 billion supply chain and improve dialogue. Mark Orton, a partner at KPMG’s Birmingham office, said UK component suppliers offered real advantages compared to both eurozone and Eastern European countries and highlighted major investment in UK manufacturing operations by Honda, BMW, Nissan, Toyota and General Motors. “This is fantastic investment that supports and bolsters the supply chain going forward,” he added. “Compared to the eurozone the UK is a very friendly and stable economy, with low tax rates and a government that is supportive of the UK manufacturing sector. “The weakness of sterling is also beneficial in terms of investment from the Far East. “All are good reasons for inward investment. There is also a favourable labour pool and one that is attractive to the automotive sector, real investment in the skills base and a reputation for innovation and research.” He said there was real expectation that over the next four to five years the UK automotive sector would grow by nine per cent per annum, peaking at 2.2 million units, but said there were real challenges in terms of coping with that growth, one of which was funding. Also highlighted was “the tooling debate” regarding the investment difficulties in developing new tooling lines though he added he believed this was now close to being solved. Simon Moger, head of government programmes at Jaguar Land Rover, echoed some of the issues over tooling with questions over who funds and takes risks over investment in it. “I can’t reiterate enough the great opportunities the UK has for growth at the moment,” he said. “If we are going to make these opportunities happen there is so much we need to do. Everyone wants this to be a success but we are not underestimating the challenge it is going to take to get there.” Mr Moger said although JLR would spend £5 billion on UK suppliers this year under capacity continued to be a problem. “Significant supply chain capacity has been removed to Europe since the last recession and the growth of JLR and Nissan has filled remaining UK capacity,” he added. “There needs to be significant extra capacity put into the UK and we need to work with banks, government and local partners to maximise opportunity.” Irene Graham, managing director for business finance and strategy for the British Bankers’ Association, said: “The banks are open for business and want to work in partnership with the automotive industry. How we work together will drive forward how we are fit for purpose to meet the challenge for the automotive sector in this country.”
November 22, 2012 News The award process is now open until the end of January 2013 for the 2013 awards. To apply for an award download the 2013 Application Outline and Application Form. Complete the application form and return it to TPM Assessment at [email protected] If you have any questions on the completion of the form please contact the TPM Assessment office +44 (0)121 717 6619. Once we received the application, we will acknowledge receipt and pass to JIPM for processing.
November 20, 2012 News Businesses across the country can now bid for a share of a £150 million pot to create the training schemes they need to grow their companies, Skills Minister Matthew Hancock announced today. The fund is the second round of the Employer Ownership Pilot (EOP) which is already giving nearly £70 million to companies including Nissan, Whitbread and GE Aviation, with projects ranging from extending skills training to local suppliers, to doubling the number of female apprentices. Government investment in EOP for rounds one and two now totals £250 million. Matthew Hancock said: “For Britain to compete we need as a nation to deliver the skills employers need. This is a unique opportunity for companies across all industries to secure their futures by addressing their skills needs now. “I would encourage businesses – large and small – to be ambitious and innovative in their vision for how the fund can help them grow, from creating new apprenticeship programmes to setting up specialist training academies. “I am also delighted to announce today that Channel 4 and the BBC have been successful in their joint round one bid with Creative Skillset to attract a more diverse range of young people into production and creative technology. “The Employer Ownership Pilot is not only strengthening individual businesses. It is showing us new ways to make sure the whole of the UK economy has the skills it needs to compete in the global race.” The collaboration between Channel 4, BBC and Creative Skillset will create training, work placements, internships and apprenticeships in production and technology. These will also be extended to businesses in their supply chain, such as independent production companies. The other 34 successful round one projects were announced in September. These included Nissan’s programme to bridge the skills gap for more than 3,600 technical staff, new recruits and supply chain workers involved in producing new models and working with evolving technologies. This will be a crucial contribution to the company’s launch of four new models in the next two years and to the expansion of the North East’s automotive industry. Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), which championed the vision for employer ownership, said: “Business leaders must think strategically about their personnel – equipping workforces with the skills they know are missing, or developing those areas which have the potential to support organisational growth. If UK industries are to thrive it is essential that a labour market exists which is fit for purpose now and in the future, with talented staff amongst the best in the world. “We know that there aren’t any quick solutions to creating a highly skilled workforce, but projects such as the Employer Ownership pilot offer a unique opportunity for businesses to collaborate and create ambitious bids which can begin to address skills issues at a sector or geographic level. I would urge every business to consider how their involvement in the pilot might support them to improve the skills of our people to benefit our businesses, our economy and our society.” David Way, Chief Executive of the National Apprenticeship Service said: “While I am delighted to see many more employers offering apprenticeships every week, we welcome this important employer-led approach. This will help to achieve our ambition to see accelerated growth and higher quality standards for apprenticeships. “The Employer Ownership Pilot will encourage a fresh and creative approach to stimulating employers to offer more opportunities to young people. This initiative will enable even more employers to collaborate and lead to the further expansion of apprenticeships. This is vital for ensuring employers of all sizes and in vital growth sectors invest in and benefit from apprenticeships. “We look forward to working closely with UKCES, BIS and all of our employers in developing and delivering high quality apprenticeships.” The round two prospectus is now available online at www.ukces.org/employerownership and the deadline for bids is 28 February 2013. To see how Industry Forum can help you access the available funding please contact Ross McFarlane on 0121 717 6600 or email [email protected] (Taken from the BIS website, 20th November 2012. To read the full article please go to http://news.bis.gov.uk/Press-Releases/-150-million-for-businesses-to-build-skilled-workforce-68396.aspx)
November 19, 2012 News Paul Hardiman, Global Best Practice and Assessment Services Principal, SMMT Industry Forum, has been invited as the guest of honour at a TPM Excellence conference in Krakow, Poland on the 21st-22nd March 2013. The conference is focused on sharing TPM best practices and will include case studies and workshops. Paul, the first non-Japanese JIPM TPM assessor, will present on experiences in undertaking JIPM TPM assessments. More details of the conference can be found at http://konferencjatpm.pl/ Industry Forum offers a full range of services to help companies successfully implement TPM and achieve JIPM TPM status.
August 14, 2012 News SMMT have been appointed by VDA QMC in Germany to deliver approved VDA 6.3 Process Audit training and qualification modules. Developed by the German Automotive industry, VDA 6.3 defines a process based audit standard for evaluating and improving controls in a manufacturing organisation’s new product introduction and manufacturing processes. Revised in 2010, the standard was comprehensively restructured to reflect the changes to ISO9001 and customer specific requirements in the automotive industry. The standard can be used by any organisation, either for internal process audits, or for evaluating potential or existing suppliers. Compliance to VDA 6.3 is mandated by some vehicle makers and encouraged by others, in particular the German automotive industry. Overview This awareness seminar will provide an overview of the structure, content and scoring evaluation systems of VDA 6.3 together with an overview of customer specific requirements in terms of VDA 6.3. The seminar will be delivered by one of SMMT’s approved VDA trainers. There will be plenty of opportunities for questions and answers throughout the session. Tea, coffee and lunch will be provided. Date: 14th November 2012 Time: 10:00am – 1:30pm Venue: Partnership For Learning, South Road, Halewood, L24 9PZ Cost: Free To book a place, please contact Zoe Desoer at the Northwest Automotive Alliance by email: [email protected] Download VDA 6.3 Seminar flyer
April 18, 2012 News Created by the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM), Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a structured approach to deploy a comprehensive set of tools and techniques in order to eliminate losses across a whole organisation. TPM involves the capabilities of the whole workforce to ensure effective and sustainable improvements are implemented. Industry Forum will be hosting a TPM Workshop on 19th July 2012 at the Industry Forum Learning Centre, Birminghan, UK. The workshop will give an overview on the structure of the TPM model, compare TPM to Lean Manufacturing, and include case studies from companies who have implemented TPM. There are a limited number of places are available at £75 + VAT per delegate inclusive of refreshments and lunch. Workshop Agenda Why TPM? TPM Vs Lean TPM Excellence Awards TPM Deployment Approach Case Studies Q&As If you would like more information please e-mail [email protected] or call the TPM Office +44 (0) 121 717 6619. Alternatively, you can book a place to the workshop online. Download the July 2012 TPM Workshop flyer (pdf)
March 22, 2012 News Earlier this year, government made available details of the £125m supply chain fund aimed at improving the size, quality and global competitiveness of the UK’s advanced manufacturing supply chain sector. The fund is aimed at supply chain companies operating in England and can be used for capital expenditure, skills and training and R&D projects. Due to the minimum project threshold value of £2m, it is envisaged that many bids will need to be from several companies clustering together to form one bid. SMMT Industry Forum has developed an approach to support the clustering of potential bids and are working closely with supply chain companies to develop their bids. Competition for the funding is expected to open shortly and SMMT will host a webinar on Wednesday 4 April at 10:30 with Geoff Dale, Director of Industry Forum. Geoff will discuss how SMMT Industry Forum is working with supply chain companies to cluster and submit viable bids. The webinar will cover: Details of the dedicated fund areas (R&D, capital expenditure and skills and development). Details on funding eligibility, how to apply for funding, including application deadlines. Details on how SMMT IF can support supply chain companies submit a clustered application for funding. To register for this free webinar, click here.
March 1, 2012 News Original article posted on www.smmt.co.uk on Wednesday 29 February 2012 Jaguar Land Rover is today celebrating the one millionth Land Rover Discovery manufactured at its Solihull plant in the West Midlands. The company is marking the milestone by setting off on an expedition from the model’s birthplace in Birmingham to Beijing in China, one of its fastest-growing markets – arriving on 23 April at the start of the city’s motor show. The announcement marks a significant achievement for the UK automotive industry, with the Discovery’s global sales up by 16% year on year to a record 45,000 units in 2011, and 83% of the model’s production being exported to 170 different markets around the world. The Solihull plant workforce alone has increased by 20% in the last six months, rising to 6,000 to meet growing international demand for Land Rover products. Alan Volkaerts, Operations Director at JLR’s Solihull plant, said, “Many people are involved in the production of the Discovery, and many have been here for the whole journey, from car number one to car number one million. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank every one of them. They have done a brilliant job, and have displayed great dedication and service. These are the men and women who have made the Discovery the success story it is today.” The Discovery’s expedition route will cover some 8,000 miles across 13 countries in 50 days. A team of four Land Rover Experience experts will tackle both extreme terrain and adverse weather conditions in the one millionth Discovery to roll off the line at Solihull. The journey launches a fundraising project that aims to raise £1 million for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Last year saw a number of high-profile investment announcements from UK automotive companies, including Jaguar Land Rover. Major UK automotive sector announcements in 2011 amounted to the creation of around 9,900 new jobs, the safeguarding of over 12,000 jobs, investments worth over £4 billion either directly in UK automotive or in automotive supply chain activities, nine new vehicle models and long-term announcements to manufacture four next generation vehicle models in the UK.
January 17, 2012 News Created by the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM), Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a structured approach to deploy a comprehensive set of tools and techniques in order to eliminate losses across a whole organisation. TPM involves the capabilities of the whole workforce to ensure effective and sustainable improvements are implemented. Industry Forum will be hosting a TPM Seminar on 15th March 2012 at Jaguar Land Rover Visitors Centre. The seminar will give an overview on the structure of the TPM model, compare TPM to Lean Manufacturing, and include case studies from companies who have implemented TPM. There are a limited number of places are available at £75 + VAT per delegate inclusive of refreshments and lunch. Seminar Agenda Why TPM? TPM Vs Lean TPM Excellence Awards TPM Deployment Approach Case Studies Q&As Download TPM Seminar Agenda If you would like more information please e-mail [email protected] or call Tomomi Austin-Bailey on +44 (0)121 717 6619. Alternatively, you can book a place to the Semianr online. Download TPM Seminar 2012 flyer (pdf)
December 14, 2011 News This article was first posted on the SMMT website on Tuesday 13 December 2011 Caterpillar’s Building Construction Products Division has announced it is to invest £50m in its UK manufacturing facilities for new products and expanded production facilities in Leicestershire and Stoke-on-Tees. The news follows Caterpillar’s recent announcement to create 300 new permanent jobs across the East Midlands and North East UK regions, generating new supply chain possibilities for local engineering and manufacturing companies that supply components to Caterpillar. Commenting on the announcement Baljinder Sanghera, Managing Director of Leicester–based firm Kaby Engineering, said, “Kaby has been a supplier to Caterpillar for 33 years and with this new growth the future looks very bright for everyone here in Leicester”. He added, “Kaby has been working very closely with Caterpillar in strengthening the supply chain right from initial design of the product to delivery at the assembly line and removing waste throughout the whole process.” Business Minister, Mark Prisk MP said, “The news of the £50m investment, along with the recent creation of 300 permanent jobs is excellent for the East Midlands and the North East. This is a real vote of confidence in UK manufacturing and in our capabilities in construction equipment innovation and production. It’s manufacturers like Caterpillar and their UK supply chain that will help us re-balance the economy, create jobs and encourage sustainable economic growth that benefits the whole country.” Robert Droogleever, General Manager of Caterpillar’s Global Backhoe Loader Business, said, “This investment is the most recent example of the Company’s on-going strategy to invest in its UK operations to support customer demand in the long-term,” said. “Our UK workforce has demonstrated that they have the capability to design and assemble world-class products in Desford and Stockton to the benefit of the regional economies in which we operate and, with more than 90% of our products being exported, to send a strong signal about the ability of UK-based manufacturers to be globally competitive.” Caterpillar’s UK manufacturing facilities employ more than 2,000 people and since 2010 has increased its labour resource in the UK by more than 70%. To find out the latest news on investment within UK automotive, visit the SMMT website
