Manufacturing, Engineering and Marine
Training and recruitment remain the key drivers to marine, engineering and manufacturing industries.
The majority of IBP’s work is these sectors is carried out in conjunction with the Marine, Engineering and Manufacturing Skills (MEMS) Partnership. Companies looking for help with training or recruitment can turn to the MEMS Partnership, which through IBP, run a brokerage service which helps companies source training solutions, new employees, and funding for training.
IBP can help you assist the workforce needs of your current staff, or help you to identify and develop the skills of new employees.
For further information please contact Claire Blakeman on: 02380 652 562 or email: cblakeman@ibptraining.co.uk
Alternatively visit the MEMS Partnership website: http://www.memsp.co.uk/
Marine Industry mentoring project
IBP has teamed up with Marine South East to encourage more marine companies to develop apprenticeship programmes within their organisations. IBP will help to access mentoring support and develop the skills required to supervise apprentices. Namely, the new partnership will work to develop the skills of team leaders to coach an apprentice through their training and work experience.
The programme will be developed by a marine-focused Institute of Leadership and Management qualification, as well as additional tuition focusing on coaching, mentoring, and recording and recognising learning achievements.
Successful individuals will be asked to provide advice and support to other companies in the area considering apprenticeships.
There are only 20 places available for companies interested in taking part in this scheme, with intakes in September for January.
If you are interested in becoming involved contact Frances Vesey on:
02380 652 562
Lean Skills
Why is it that some companies succeed year on year whilst others flounder? On the surface it appears that companies have the same access to opportunities, the same raw materials, the ability to purchase the same equipment and facilities, and they are able to attract the same level of qualified people. So what is it that makes some companies more competitive?
In the majority of cases the answer is efficiency. Regardless of size, if a company is run inefficiently there is a direct effect on profit and loss. Lean Skills can be used to help your company act efficiently, and manage people, machinery and materials effectively.
Lean Skills develops your business to:-
- Maximise profits
- Eliminate waste
- Reduce costs
- Use people and equipment more effectively
- Increase customer satisfaction
Lean techniques relive capacity by reducing the time it takes to produce products and reducing the waste that can often come about in the day to day running of a company. The level of commitment required will vary from company to company, but the beauty of lean training is that the majority of training takes place on site, reducing the need to lose staff for days spent at college.
Lean techniques are implemented through a series of Business Improvement techniques, which when introduced in the workplace can be used as evidence to achieve a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) levels 2-4. The level you choose for each employee depends on his or her role within the company.
Lean Skills are about working with employees across the company to assess areas of the organisation which could be improved and developed.
10 common reasons where businesses should use Lean Skills:-
- Cash flow problems
- High inventory
- Poor delivery performance
- High absenteeism
- Unreliable plant and equipment
- Low labour utilisation
- Long machine/assembly line changeovers
- Poor machine/equipment utilisation
- Ineffective leadership
- Poor employee attitude/commitment
If you are interested in Lean Skills contact Frances Vesey on: 023 8065 2562 or email: info@ibptraining.co.uk
Common examples of wastage in companies which often go unrecognised:
Overproduction – this can be due to long set-up times, economic batch quantities.
Waiting and delays – this includes waiting for materials, information and machinery. It is often due to a poor understanding of the total process because of lack of communication between departments.
Movement of people – this includes movement in the office and the shop floor. It is common for a person to walk over a mile in the production of a simple product.
Transport of materials – some transport is necessary in the production process, but it can be reduced by tackling simple issues such as the layout of machines and operations.
Overstocking – large stock rooms can lead to the reduction in production space. There are hidden costs in holding stock, which have been suggested as being up to 25% of the stock’s value in the first year alone.
Inappropriate processes – this includes the use of overcomplicated machinery that requires high skills levels to use and the over engineering and over finishing of products that is not needed by the customer.
Defects – this is financially consuming, not just because of the financial and time waste from the initial defect but the time and money required putting it right. Lean focuses on zero defects – a target we should all be aiming for.
Talent – this is one of the greatest wastes. Often experience is under utilised, companies don’t work with people at all levels within the organisation to solve problems.
Lean Skills – The Main Techniques
Lean Skills cover a wide range of business improvement techniques to help raise a company’s bottom line.
Four commonly adopted Lean Skills techniques are:-
- Six Sigma – this is a quality measurement of how a process performs. The basic goals of 6 sigma are to measure, analyse and improve with the intention of making savings. It is achieved by training employees in stages – green belts to black belts to ensure that the process is working.
- 5S – is a method to reduce waste and optimise productivity by maintaining an orderly workplace. The 5Ss are – Sort, Straighten, Sweep, Standardise and Sustain.
- Kaizen is a method of applying continuous improvement techniques. This is an incremental concept that improves product, process and services gradually with the goal of reducing waste, improve workplace function and customer service. Kaizen prevents errors through the philosophy of elimination.
- Kanban is a material stock system driven by demand that releases stock into production only when it is required. When materials are in constant demand, core components are made available and ‘pulled’ from stock at the moment of need. Where components have a limited shelf life this system is invaluable in preventing waste.
Making lean work for you
Kevin Vardy, Production Manager at Southampton based H-Tec has seen a significant change to the way he does his job since introducing lean techniques into the workplace.
“We have introduced Business Improvement techniques to two production lines so far and it is proving to be a far more efficient way of working.
“I am now spending far less of my time chasing items through the production line, which means time has been freed to improve methods and work on introducing lean in other areas of the shop floor.
“The shop floor looks better now. Through the introduction of shadow boards we know exactly when a tool is being used and where it needs to go when it is put back. Properly mapped production lines means that the movement around the shop floor has been reduced dramatically saving time for myself and other workers