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News Release from: Manufacturing Technologies Association | Subject: Sharing Tomorrow's Technology Today
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 25 July 2002
Manufacturers get help on
competitiveness
One of the greatest threats to the competitiveness - getting resources to innovate and introduce new technologies - is to be tackled in a free symposium.
One of the greatest threats to the competitiveness of UK manufacturing is being tackled in a practical way at a free symposium organised by The Machine Tool Technologies Association and the University of Warwick's Warwick Manufacturing Group It is addressing the problem that many companies do not, on their own, have the necessary resources to innovate or to stay abreast of technical advances
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 13 Apr 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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As a result, they are losing, or stand to lose, business to overseas rivals.
MTTA is acutely aware of this issue and has organised a series of successful roadshows over a number of years entitled 'Sharing Tomorrow's Technology Today'.
These have enabled UK firms to discover, first hand, how Japanese, European and US manufacturers are gaining a competitive edge through established networks of industry/research centre partnerships.
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The free symposium is being held on Wednesday 25 September 2002 at the University of Warwick's International Manufacturing Centre.
It aims to help redress the balance by bringing together small and medium-sized UK firms, universities and research associations, to sow the seeds of co-operation agreements.
It will be chaired by Professor Kumar Bhattacharyya CBE, who is internationally respected for his 20 years work in building the Warwick Manufacturing Group's 'Strategic Partnerships', which have clearly shown how industry and academia can work together to develop manufacturing's contribution to the economy.
At the symposium, four leading manufacturers, four researchers involved in successful partnerships with industry and three managers from official funding bodies will explain how their activities work and how managers and technical specialists representing research centres, manufacturers large and small, and their equipment suppliers, can initiate co-operative ventures.
MTTA Director General, Simon Brown said: "One of the most crucial aspects of this event is that those attending will have an opportunity to meet potential partners and informally discuss how mutually beneficial links might be established.
In this way, we hope to provide a springboard for practical action that will benefit UK competitiveness." Vinesh Raja, Head of CIM and ICT at the Warwick Manufacturing Group, said: "Here, we have seen how industry/research partnerships can work.
At one company, it led to a 50 per cent increase in productivity and an increase in profits of GBP1.8 million, earning it a Queen's Award for Export Achievement.
At another, a tile maker, it cut process time from 55 days to five.
I believe there are many companies that could achieve these sort of benefits." The symposium is supported by the Department of Trade and Industry, the Institution of Electrical Engineers, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Foresight Directorate and ComMet 2005.
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