Looking to reducing lost time to almost zero in just four weeks, or improve productivity by 23%?

These are just some of the improvements already implemented by Jack Barber, Production Manager at West Midlands-based Heat Treatment 2000.

Jack was one of the first delegates to complete our Manufacturing Efficiency Skills Bootcamp, which is delivered in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority.

HT2000 offers heat treatment of fasteners, forgings, pressing and aluminium castings in automotive, construction, medical and energy industries. Running at 400 tons a week on ferrous metals and 100-150 tons on non-ferrous metals means efficiency is a key part of business effectiveness. As a supervisor of the day-to-day operations of the plant, Jack had started to investigate LEAN and Six Sigma to see if he could help take the business to the next level of efficiency. Our Bootcamp helped him to take those crucial next steps and to understand how to effectively apply these principles to maximise value.

Why did you choose to attend the Bootcamp?

I wanted to expand my knowledge on continuous improvement and I’m really keen to make positive improvements at my company. For me, it was all about understanding how to put LEAN principles into a real-life working environment.

How have you found the balance between study and your role in the business?

I knew investing this time was beneficial to me and the company, so I wanted to make sure I got the most out of it. Our trainer, Andrew, was very understanding if I was running a day or two behind with all of the commitments I have in my home and professional life. I found it really helpful to squeeze in an hour in the morning before the office gets busy.

How do the skills you’ve learnt fit into your day-to-day role?

As a production manager, I strive to make our processes as effective and efficient as possible. The slightest improvement can have a major effect on any business, whether it be morale, improvement in output, or even customer service. We’ve seen major benefits in our processes since implementing some of the techniques so far, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how I can put even more of the LEAN principles into practice.

What were your favourite parts of the course?

Meeting the other delegates and the trainers in person. When we spent the week together, we were able to understand different points of view and discuss how each of us would approach the same task. The trainers had real life experience in using the LEAN principles, which helped me understand how to implement it and the challenges or obstacles I could face. I’d been researching LEAN in my own time before the course, but I found being on the actual course with the hands-on approach was far more beneficial.

Have you noticed any benefits so far?

At HT2000, we’ve noticed huge benefits to my learning on the Bootcamp, one being the way we record lost time, which has enabled us to put changes in place to go from 13% to 0.2% in four weeks on one line! This was done by putting the LEAN principles into practice and working with the management team to help overcome the issues we faced. I also managed to improve productivity in one area by 23% in three weeks.

Did this course fit into any progression plans within your career (if you have any)?

Yes, it has most definitely given me knowledge on how to lead projects with confidence, and I see this as progressing into the next stage of management and leadership.

What did you think about your trainer?

The trainers were fantastic. They were knowledgeable, friendly and very understanding. I felt comfortable enough to bring up anything I was unsure about and able to bounce ideas off them whilst on the course and even out of the course hours.

What did you think about your time at MTC Training?

MTC Training has really put some thought and detail into the Bootcamp. I could tell they’ve taken the principles and made it relevant and suitable for any business in any sector to understand and utilise for their own benefit. It was also really helpful that there wasn’t an overload of information and it wasn’t over complicated, so it was very easy to understand and take in.

Would you recommend this Bootcamp?

Yes, I would definitely recommend the Bootcamp. It’s worth investing the time, especially if you are in a supervisor or manager role and want to keep making positive changes in your working environment. It can be quite daunting going back into a classroom environment, but this has pushed me to look to do more courses with the MTC to continue my upskilling journey.

Jack Barber

Meet the Delegate: Jack Barber

New training centre launched at MTC Liverpool

The Manufacturing Technology Centre’s Liverpool facility is to be the base for a new advanced manufacturing training centre delivering skills to businesses and learners in Liverpool and the north west.

MTC Training will deliver new apprenticeships, upskilling courses and HNC programmes from the MTC’s facility on Liverpool Science Park.

Courses offered include a new Level 2 Lean Manufacturing Operative apprenticeship. The one-year apprenticeship programme will allow both new and existing employees to progress their careers by developing into multi-skilled operators, supporting greater business agility and flexibility. The course includes lean manufacturing, production, quality control, problem solving, workplace organisation and health and safety.

The centre will also deliver an HNC in Engineering course over a two-year period. The programme is designed to empower students to develop the specialist knowledge and skills to help their organisations effectively harness the power of new and emerging manufacturing technologies.

Both courses begin in October, with further programmes, including upskilling courses targeting more experienced engineers, and new apprenticeship options are being announced very soon.

Engineering SMEs  looking to take on an apprentice can get additional support from MTC Training in partnership with Lloyds Bank, including:

  • SME salary support to help qualifying SMEs to recruit their next apprentice.
  • The Lloyds Bank Levy Transfer fund helps SMEs to take on apprentices by covering the cost of apprenticeship training. As part of the bank’s partnership with MTC Training, and if you are a small business in the local area, you can access funding to develop your existing workforce or recruit your next generation of engineering experts, improving career opportunities for young people (https://apprenticeships.the-mtc.org/employers/sme-support/)

Operations manager Emma Johnstone said the new courses would support businesses in the Liverpool City Region and the north west to improve their performance through a workforce well-prepared for the ever-changing challenges of a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

“Our aim is to seed industry in the region with a cohort of confident, multi-skilled and effective employees who add greater value to businesses by being able to perform a wide range of technical roles. Their flexible expertise will help their employers to improve efficiency and boost the bottom line,” she said.

Courses will be designed and delivered by independent training provider MTC Training which has already delivered apprenticeships to more than 800 learners from its state-of-the-art facilities in Coventry and Oxfordshire.

Established in 2014, MTC Training is creating the next generation of engineering innovators, helping to fill the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) skills gap and secure a sustainable future for the UK manufacturing sector, and was recently announced as a finalist in the prestigious AAC Engineering and Manufacturing Training Provider of the Year Award.

 

MTC TRAINING COURSES ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD

MTC Training is launching a new apprenticeship and training courses to support the UK’s rapidly growing space sector.

The suite of industry-leading courses will include a new Level 4 space technician apprenticeship, a graduate development programme and a series of courses to upskill space engineers.

The new programmes are designed to boost the UK’s skills and capabilities in the space sector which is forecast to be worth £450 billion by 2030. The courses will accelerate industrial innovation among space-focused organisations and manufacturers with the aim of boosting productivity and driving growth.

Emma Johnstone, operations manager at MTC Training, said the apprenticeship and courses were part of the MTC’s commitment to support the space sector’s development in the UK.

“Space presents a significant opportunity for manufacturing companies in the UK. These courses will underpin the advances being made by UK manufacturers, creating a pipeline of future-proof engineers ready to understand and take advantage of the immense opportunities that space technology offers, and equipped with the right technological tools to address the challenge of producing the next generation of space hardware,” she said.

The new space technician apprenticeship launches in September next year. The apprenticeship will provide hands-on, space-specific experience supporting future talent in the space sector. Delivered from the state-of-the-art  Oxfordshire Advanced Skills (OAS) training centre in Abingdon, the 48-month course aims to create the sector’s future lead engineers, helping to propel manufacturing businesses in the space industry forward.

The new graduate development space programme, also delivered at OAS, supports engineering graduates who are new to the space industry or are considering a move into the space sector. It provides practical experience with specialist space equipment in skills such as additive manufacturing in space, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, and space standards.

The innovative space-specific development courses are designed to support rapid cross-sector skills development and the upskilling of space engineers. They will cover a range of subjects from satellite manufacturing to spacecraft platform systems and design, the effects of space environments and environment testing for space.

The MTC was founded by the University of Birmingham, Loughborough University, the University of Nottingham and TWI Ltd. The MTC’s industrial members include some of the UK’s major global manufacturers.

The MTC aims to provide a competitive environment to bridge the gap between university-based research and the development of innovative manufacturing solutions, in line with the Government’s manufacturing strategy. The MTC is part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, supported by Innovate UK.