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.
MTC Training to run training courses out of the new OAS Training Centre in Oxfordshire
MTC Training will now be offering a number of their training courses in emerging technologies out of the recently opened Oxfordshire Advanced Skills (OAS) Training Centre. The centre is based at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) Culham, one of the UK’s hi-tech hotspots.
The new centre is now another home to MTC Apprenticeships, providing industry leading engineering tuition, and is furnished with cutting-edge; industry grade equipment covering a wide range of engineering and technology disciplines. The centre includes an 827sq metre workshop and 17 individual training spaces enabling MTC Training to deliver world class training in a number of different technologies.
The initial training courses selected for delivery include a suite of Additive Manufacturing courses, namely Advanced Introduction to Additive Manufacturing and Best Practice in Process Selection, as well as a number of Automation and Robotics courses.
On the news, Martin Dury, Head of Future Skills said: “Hosting some of our courses out of such an innovative new training centre, enables us to spread our influence across one of the UK’s most technological and innovative areas”.
Businesses from across Oxfordshire, the Thames Valley and surrounding areas will be able to benefit from these short courses to help them and their engineers stay ahead of the competition when it comes to emerging technologies and processes.”
To find out more about our upcoming courses at the OAS Training Centre, please visit amtc.co.uk/training or call 02476701554.
Industry Leading Training Now More Accessible Than Ever
MTC Training, providers of industry leading training in the high value manufacturing sector, have recently announced a pricing structure change for all eLearning courses to make them more accessible to inspire workforces across Great Britain.
eLearning courses provided by MTC Training provide highly interactive training with maximum flexibility. At a price of just £49.99 (+VAT) per Guided Learning Hour (GLH), learners can fit the learning around their busy schedules and the businesses needs as they are all self-paced.
MTC currently offer a range of online courses across 6 subject areas including A Guide for Engineers and Decision-Makers Part 1 and Part 2 whereby business leaders can make an informed decision as to whether to adopt Industrial 3D printing (Additive Manufacturing) into their manufacturing processes.
For those looking to introduce automation and robotics, Implementing Automation & Robotics will help key decision makers realise why they need to remain competitive.
For businesses in the Digital Manufacturing space, Introduction to Digital Manufacturing will help attendees identify the barriers to implementation and how to mitigate them.
On the pricing change Martin Dury, Head of Future Skills, commented: “By changing our pricing structure, we are making our courses as accessible as possible to help us achieve our aim of encouraging and enabling UK industry to adopt these disruptive technologies.”
To find out more about these digital courses, click here.
New Practical Insight into Directed Energy Deposition course Receives CPD Certification following successful pilot
Following its recent pilot earlier this month, MTC Training is pleased to announce that its new Practical Insight into Directed Energy Deposition (DED) training course is now CPD certified. This means anyone who attends can formally log 21 hours of continual professional development to maintain any professional status.
The new, 3-day, face-to-face training course delivered by an expert engineering team from the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing (NCAM) is aimed at providing engineers with practical experience of the end-to-end processes needed for Industrial 3D printing, enabling them to explain the DED process and recognise how it can benefit their organisation.
On the latest announcement, Martin Dury from MTC Training said: “Following the successful pilot and the excellent feedback we received, we are delighted that another of our courses has received CPD accreditation. This just reinforces the quality of the course design and our position at the forefront of Additive Manufacturing training in the UK. We are excited to add this course to a rapidly growing curriculum of 15 others, scheduled throughout the year from September onwards.”
Following the pilot, the course participants were highly complimentary of the course, its content and how it was delivered:
“The content covered was very relevant and the course was stepped through in a logical order. It was great to learn from many different experts across the MTC.”
“From someone that had very limited knowledge on the subject, I have now come out with a very good understanding of the processes. The content was excellently delivered and I would highly recommend the course.”
To find out more or book onto the next running of the course, please visit https://the-amtc.co.uk/training/courses/practical-insight-into-directed-energy-deposition-3day-face-to-face/ or contact the team on 02476 701774.