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.
Is cross-skilling the answer to increasing your business’s resilience?
Protect and increase your bottom line through a more flexible workforce
UK manufacturers’ business resilience has been tested to the limit as the additional challenges of the pandemic have compounded the ongoing skills shortage. As we emerge into the post-pandemic working world, the so-called Great Resignation is presenting yet more workforce challenges. Building your business’s resilience to boost your bottom line has never been more crucial.
So what is business resilience and why does it matter to your bottom line?
Greater business resilience helps companies be prepared for unforeseen issues however they arise, whether from staff sickness, machine failure or even new legislation. Having a more agile workforce that can help you adjust and absorb potential disruption is a key business resilience strategy, protecting your company’s productivity, competitiveness and ultimately profit.
And that’s where MTC Training can help. Cross-skilling is a proven approach to creating more flexible workforces while keeping down recruitment costs, by training employees in skills, jobs and tasks that sit outside their current role but are relevant to it. As well as making your workforce more responsive under pressure and ensuring your ongoing capability to fulfil orders, cross-skilled employees also collaborate more effectively and spot process improvements more readily, continuously increasing your business’s efficiency and profitability.
Protect your operations through cross-skilling
MTC Training’s cross-skilling programmes will help you to achieve a consistent minimum level of competence throughout your workforce, improving working practices and time on breakdowns, and promoting a wider awareness of engineering across teams. We’ll help you to prepare for better problem solving, efficiency and productivity through a more flexible, competent workforce that feels engaged, confident and valued.
With the return of face-to-face delivery within our state-of-the-art training centres, we’re delighted to announce three brand new appreciation courses to help start your business’s cross-skilling journey:
These courses are useful refreshers for non-general specialists and sector changers, qualified engineers experiencing skills fade, or new starters with backgrounds in different engineering disciplines. They’re also suitable for experienced workers without formal qualifications who require proof of professional competence.
Used individually, these cross-skilling courses will help to upskill your electrical-biased employees to beginner or intermediate level in mechanical engineering, and your mechanical-biased workers to beginner level in electrical engineering. They can also be used as a package to provide a strong foundation for a subsequent Level 3 vocational qualification in the workplace.
We’re already running monthly appreciation courses due to high demand, so book early to avoid disappointment. There are also bespoke session options for group bookings of six or more.
To view all of our available face-to-face and online courses, please visit https://the-amtc.co.uk/training/.
MTC Training in Apprentice training partnership with BPP
MTC Training has joined forces with leading global training provider BPP to boost its range of apprenticeships.
The partnership aims effort to tackle skills shortages in manufacturing and engineering, and will provide apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships in a range of disciplines needed in advanced manufacturing organisations.
The portfolio of apprenticeships – from Level 3 to Level 7 Masters degrees – will cover digital technologies and the use of data, in line with the UK’s national skills strategy, accelerating MTC Training’s commitment to support the country’s manufacturing future.
Apprenticeships on offer in the new partnership include digital and technology solutions, data science and data analysis, and an MSc degree in applied data analytics. Degree apprenticeships are delivered by BPP University which is a distinct legal entity within the BPP Group with a dedicated management team and its own degree-awarding capability.
David Hughes MBE, managing director of MTC Training, said, “MTC Training is committed to providing the future skills that the manufacturing sector needs to accelerate innovation. With the challenges presented by the continuing UK STEM skills gap we must use every weapon in our armoury to provide the next generation of engineering talent. I am delighted that we are joining in partnership with BPP, a business with a global reputation for transformative programmes which give people the skills so badly needed in an ever-changing technology landscape.”
Paul Rowlett, Dean of BPP’s Schools of Technology and Business Apprenticeships said, “The skills gap in the UK is slowing the adoption of the latest technologies in the engineering and manufacturing sectors, and hampering the country’s productivity and competitiveness. MTC Training has a track record of tackling this issue by creating the next generation of manufacturing talent and exposing them to the most advanced technologies available. We are delighted to be working together to provide apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships which opens the door to exciting opportunities for employers and their workforces. We are able to provide a pathway to support learners at every level and every career stage, upskilling the manufacturing workforce of the future.”
Courses will be available to MTC Training customers based out of the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre in Coventry or OAS in Oxfordshire, covering the length and breadth of the UK to bring advanced skills opportunities to all manufacturing and engineering businesses.
Training Needs Analysis Tool
What’s missing from your AM skillset? Find out now with MTC’s Training Needs Analysis Tool
In the fast-developing environment of additive manufacturing, mapping out the right training programme for yourself or your team can be challenging. Many engineers have a sense of their ideal learning path – but when dealing with limited training budgets, investment should be shaped by insight, not instinct.
A training needs analysis allows businesses and individuals to systematically evaluate and pinpoint knowledge gaps, then create a bespoke development plan to address them. Regular reviews also help you keep pace with emerging technology trends, so you never lose competitive advantage.
Identify skills requirements with a single online tool
MTC’s free, user-friendly Training Needs Analysis (TNA) tool provides a simple, yet highly specialised, method of identifying skills shortfalls. Designed for both engineers and managers, a series of speedy online assessments evaluate key AM competences, highlighting areas that could benefit from further development.
You set the parameters from the outset – specifying subject area, sector, position and specialism – so the tool’s scenario-based questions identify the expertise required for your current role and the know-how you’ll need as your career progresses.
Shape the way forward for yourself or your team
Whether you’re an ambitious engineer planning your next step or a manager strengthening your team’s capabilities, the TNA tool can help you set intelligent targets.
TNA scenarios cover fundamental AM processes – including power bed fusion for metals and polymers – and present real-life challenges across the entire additive manufacturing lifecycle:
Individuals can create personalised logins and revisit their results at any time. The flexible tool is perfectly suited to support design engineers, engineering technicians, quality engineers and manufacturing and production engineers. And to reflect AM’s quickly changing climate and deliver truly customised results, the software is also constantly updated with new skills and functions.
Meanwhile, team leader dashboards provide an instant overview of all direct reports. This tailored 24/7 interface allows you to effortlessly assign assessments, manage multiple sets of data and track the training needs of your entire team.
Access made-to-measure training plans
Following your training needs analysis, you’ll receive customised course recommendations to boost your skillset.
MTC’s additive manufacturing courses are taught by industry experts from the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing. They range from hands-on technical instruction covering materials management, processes and design principles to commercially focused courses that help build a strong AM business case.
Modules are delivered in several formats to suit your schedule and skills needs, including virtual classrooms, face-to-face instruction and fully interactive, trainer-led Online & Live courses.
Try the Training Needs Analysis tool
MTC’s Training Needs Analysis tool is available around the clock, so get started today with your team or individual assessment.
Prefer to speak to a training specialist? We’re always on hand to help plan your ideal learning journey. Talk to the team on training@the-mtc.org or call 02476 701774.