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News Release from: One NorthEast
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 28 April 2004
Engineering team celebrates NE
productivity boost
A World class team of engineers that is helping to boost productivity at dozens of manufacturing businesses across the North East UK is celebrating a year of stunning success.
A World class team of engineers helping boost productivity at dozens of manufacturing businesses across the North East is celebrating a year of stunning success Nine engineers hand-picked to join the North East Productivity Alliance (NEPA) have spent the past 12 months working with 25 regional companies, improving manufacturing costs, quality and delivery performance to boost their long-term fortunes
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 15 May 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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The engineers - selected from regional companies such as Magna Kansei, Black and Decker, Rolls Royce, Nissan and ThyssenKrupp Automotive Tallent Chassis - have been seconded to One NorthEast to carry out their new roles.
During 2003, the engineers have helped targeted companies achieve ?1.6m in productivity cost savings, allowing firms to produce more product, bringing more cash into the business.
In their first year, they have learned global best practice from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Industry Forum who have brought best practice from the Japanese automotive industry to the UK.
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The engineers have used this knowledge to work with regional companies such as clothing manufacturer J Barbour and Sons in South Shields and Gateshead-based Davy Roll Company, manufacturer of iron and steel cast rolls for metal producing industries.
They are at the heart of NEPA's Dissemination of Best Practice project which aims to train more than 80 productivity practitioners in the region over the next two years, spreading and engraining best practice to boost the North East manufacturing sector.
NEPA comprises some of the region's most prominent industrialists, academics and public sector agencies.
Mark Rutherford, Innovation Manager at One NorthEast, said: "In fiercely competitive market places with increasing customer expectations, survival and growth is tough.
Whilst external factors play a part in the current national and regional manufacturing difficulties, there appears to be little a company's management can do to change them.
However, research has shown that two of the causes of the troubles - low labour productivity and overall equipment effectiveness - are within the control and influence of management.
The NEPA Dissemination of Best Practice project is delivering high quality interventions at companies, whilst disseminating the knowledge to many other regional manufacturing employees who ultimately will achieve a formal qualification.
The success of the project is down to the dedication and enthusiasm of the engineers." NEPA is delivering results with Walker-based Wellstream International Limited, designer and manufacturer of pipeline products, systems and solutions for fluid transportation.
Paul Hardisty, General Manager, said: "We are very impressed with the model that has been developed with NEPA and its associates.
"The goal for Wellstream is simple - to train and educate the entire workforce to continuously improve both business performance and the working environment and the NEPA programme is showing immediate results that will be sustainable long after the programme itself is complete." Nine more engineers have been taken onto NEPA's books during the past year, taking the total to 18.
These new engineers have started their training, working with regional manufacturers.
The seeds of the NEPA project were sown in late 2002 by Steve Pallas, Manager for Training Development at Nissan, and Eddie Leng, Training Manager at Newton-Aycliffe-based vehicle parts manufacturer ThyssenKrupp Automotive Tallent Chassis, who recognised the need for immediate action to help North East manufacturing compete on a global basis.
Pallas said: "NEPA is different in that it is industry led for industry, with public sector backing from One NorthEast, the Learning and Skills Council and the Government Office for the North East.
It is a unique project over the long term with the emphasis on sustainability.
Our engineers can identify changes to working practices - sometimes basic working arrangements - to immediately cut costs while safeguarding jobs." NEPA engineer Chris Elves, 32, seconded to the NEPA project from Rolls Royce's base in Pallion, Sunderland, said: "Much of what we do is common sense but common sense in a structured way, which is sustained when we leave by the employees we train while we are working in the company." The Dissemination of Best Practice project is just one element of NEPA's GBP 26m plans to boost North East manufacturing over a three year period.
NEPA has three other projects: * Creating OEngineering Fellows1 - funding research by industrialists, partnered with regional universities.
The knowledge acquired will be disseminated to the general manufacturing base of the region.
* The Digital Factory project - providing manufacturing companies assistance to improve their productivity by better use of digital tools, for example computer aided design and e-commerce.
This technology transfer project will provide training to more than 2,000 people in the region.
* Working with the Learning and Skills Council to lead workforce development - helping 2,500 staff achieve formal qualifications and providing them with practical experience to improve their performance.
John Cushnaghan, NEPA Chairman and former Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK Managing Director, said: "The NEPA project is the culmination of two years work involving the region's agencies, Government Office and universities, all collaborating in a unique programme.
The successful launch of the projects is a credit to the joint efforts of all those involved in the programme." One NorthEast is investing GBP 8.8m into the NEPA programme over three years with the European Social Fund contributing GBP 3.2m and Learning and Skills Council GBP 1.8m.
This investment is expected to lever in a further GBP 13m from the private sector.
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