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Hosted on Wednesday 7th April, this month's instalment of The Editor's Pick saw guest editor Philip Jepson speak with 4 industry leaders from the Made in Group regarding their latest news stories.
Philip has a wealth of experience through being the Director of multiple business, including Made in Group members EGL Vaughan and Allied Global Engineering. As Guest Editor, Philip was able to select any recent news stories from the Made in Group membership, and decided to speak with Steve Hardman (MD at Clevedon Fasteners), Fabio Cosenza (Group Sales and Marketing Director at CBE+), Billy Hutchinson (Director at LESTERS) and Chris Knott (Head of R&D Incentives at Cooper Parry R&D Incentives).
The live event was kicked off by Philip, which is streamed across all Made in Group social channels once a month to the group’s 30K+ followers, by introducing himself and the event’s guests.
What Trends Have Emerged in "Post-Pandemic Manufacturing"?
The first member Philip spoke to was Steve Hardman of Clevedon Fasteners, regarding their recent news article titled "The Emerging Trends In Post-Pandemic Manufacturing at Clevedon Fasteners".
Philip was keen to find out more about the flat management structure which the company had deployed, as a result of streamlining their operations. Due to this change, shop floor operatives took on many administrative and planning functions normally carried out by positions such as production and planning managers. These changes significantly improved communication planning.
There was many other changes which emerged for Clevedon Fasteners during the pandemic, such as a drive towards sustainability, increased supply chain visibility, and employee adaptation.
Multi-Million Pound Developments Underway in Chesterfield
Next, Philip wanted to find out more from Fabio Cosenza about the developments underway at CBE+’s main production site in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
The Electroless Nickel Plating Division is being transitioned to the company’s main site at Enterprise Drive as part of a multi-million pound investment by the group. This will join the company’s Precision Engineering, Wire EDM, Gear Manufacturing, Assembly and Testing Laboratory services.
This has been over 2 years in the planning and with works starting over 12 months ago, January 2022 saw the completion of the bunded floor. Constructed from 1325m2 reinforced concrete, the bund will contain all of the production processes lines and associated treatment equipment required for the facility to operate.
Lobbying for Government to Help with Energy and Material Costs
The third guest speaker Philip spoke to was Billy Hutchinson, MD of LESTERS, who have been been lobbying for the UK government to help with energy and material costs.
Billy believes that his sector is often overlooked when it comes to support, yet finds itself faced with a potential 30% increase in paper prices in the next month. A number of European mills have already shut their doors, and this is believed to magnify the focus on those that are left, causing inflation in charges and the possibility of instability of supply.
This comes after Burntwood-based LESTERS has recently boosted its sales by 120% and taken on another 15 staff to cope with the rise in demand.
Why R&D Is Relevant to SMEs
Philip was keen to end the event on a "high note", by having Chris Knott of Cooper Parry share his expert knowledge on R&D incentives.
Firstly, Philip congratulated Chris for having recently been recognised as finalists in the 2022 Tolley’s Taxation Awards in the category of “Best Specialist Team in a Law or Accounting Firm”.
Following this, Chris was asked to share some manufacturing and engineering specific knowledge on why research & development is relevant to SME companies in particular. Click the link below to watch the full event and hear more of Chris' expertise.