London's manufacturers helped to cut costs

Manufacturers in the London area are being given a dedicated package of services to help them cut costs and trim out waste to help 16,000 companies stay competitive.

Manufacturers in the UK's capital city are being given a dedicated package of services to help them cut costs and trim out waste to help London's 16,000 manufacturers stay competitive.

The London Development Agency (LDA) has announced a support package for businesses to adopt 'Lean Learning' practices and to give them increased access to a troubleshooting and advice service.

A newly opened Lean Learning Academy (LLA) based at CEME (Centre for Manufacturing and Excellence) targeting London's SMEs to help teach, implement and support lean thinking to help businesses understand how they can apply the concepts of 'lean learning'.

The Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) will receive a further GBP 9 million to support businesses with a telephone enquiry line, in-depth advice sessions, on site visits, workshops and follow-up support.

Speaking at the opening of the LLA today, LDA executive director of Business and Skills, Marc Stephens, said: "The combination of this new LDA investment into the Manufacturing Advisory Service and the Lean Learning Academy will help manufacturing firms compete with competition from abroad.

The new money offers firms a wide range of services and will encourage them to work together to learn from each other to tackle challenges common to them all.

These schemes are a vital part of the LDA's work to ensure that London remains a global centre of high-tech, efficient manufacturing." * About London MAS - innovation and product experts PERA have joined EEF South and Business Link which have delivered the London MAS for the past three years to provide a broader base of services.

As well as scaling up its practical support to help manufacturers to improve productivity over the next three years, the London MAS will also be promoting innovation, technology and knowledge transfer and will provide strategic support to strengthen longer term competitiveness, sustainability and growth.

David Crowfoot, head of Operations for London MAS said: "The extension of the partnership will really bring big benefits to manufacturers as we will provide an even wider level of practical support, spanning a more extensive range of business development disciplines.

We aim to help manufacturers operate more effectively, design better products, create high performing individuals, teams and organisations and better promote themselves to new and existing markets.

" * About Lean Learning Academy - the LLA will help revitalise sectors of London's traditional industry and improve employment prospects in the Thames Gateway area.

This GBP 1.8 million initiative brings together some of the UK's most renowned experts in "'ean learning', to assist local businesses understand how they can apply the concepts to their own business LLA project manager John Thatcher said: "The purpose of the Lean Learning Academy is to assist London's manufacturers to understand and implement learn learning principles in order to improve their productivity, profitability and long term viability." Lean learning is a rigorous process of continuous improvement and waste elimination that has its origins in the Japanese car industry.

Properly implemented, lean thinking has been proven to yield substantial improvements in lead times, inventory reduction, product defects and ultimately profitability.

Unlike many training programmes, the LLA does not focus on classroom teaching.

Instead, it involves practical learning in the workplace and teaches business owner/managers and employees how to apply Lean Learning principles to their own business or workplace.

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