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.
Additive manufacturing continues to expand at The MTC
The Additive Manufacturing (AM) curriculum at the MTC continues to expand to support the growing industry requirements. As the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing (NCAM), The MTC supports the effective exploitation of current and emerging AM processes by bridging the gap between market requirements and process reality.
MTC launched ten new courses in early 2019 with the significant advancement of the fastest growing metal forming technology, which is being delivered via a variety of methods including online learning, face-to-face and virtual classroom. The choice of delivery methods makes training courses at the MTC more accessible, providing greater flexibility to learners and increased opportunities for education and development in one of the industry’s fastest growing sectors.
New AM courses launching summer 2019
Online Learning
Face to Face
Virtual Classroom
An update from… Steve Picker, Learning Development & Delivery Manager
The MTC commercial training offering continues to go from strength to strength with many exciting new developments over the past few months.
We have launched our new, fully integrated Learning Management System (LMS), allowing learners to log in and manage their learning once signed up to an MTC course. The system provides users with a birds-eye view of their learning, with the ability to track progress and learn (where relevant) at their own pace.
Our in-house team is also expanding and our expertise growing, with new instructional designers working with MTC subject matter experts to develop an increasingly diverse range of courses, as well as being able to create bespoke courses for clients.
Our in-house expertise stretches across the entire spectrum of course development, design and delivery. The process is thorough and truly end-to-end, so you know with any MTC course it has followed best practice guidelines from the leading experts in their respective fields from start to finish.
As part of our competency framework approach, we define the required skills, knowledge and behaviours for each given area, before designing the curriculum, training needs analysis and developing the course, again all in-house. We also pride ourselves on course delivery, with our MTC experts delivering our courses onsite or online using the latest technologies.
In pursuit of our mission to provide the Advanced Manufacturing skills needed for the technology of today and the future, we have also partnered with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) to collaboratively deliver a full range of metallurgy courses.
And lastly, MTC Apprenticeships will now provide a springboard to CPD opportunities available with MTC Training, following the recent expansion into Degree level qualifications. This means learners can continue their journey with MTC and build on their knowledge and skills in specialist areas post-Degree level.
A focus on: eLearning
eLearning courses are short, highly interactive training sessions delivered online. They are also self-paced, which means learners benefit from the opportunity to fit the study around other commitments and business needs.
At the MTC, we offer eLearning courses to cover a wide range of subject areas including Automation and Robotics, Additive and Digital Manufacturing.
Our new Learner Management System (LMS) will also advance our course delivery significantly with more interactive features, video content and visual aids to enhance learner engagement.
At a time and in an industry where the pace of change is quicker than ever, eLearning permits a faster pace of study than traditional face-to-face learning, so organisations can train larger numbers of people in less time. This is particularly important for study relating to emerging trends and new technological advances, which is an area that the MTC focuses on.
Try eLearning for free
Additive Manufacture: A Guide for Decision-Makers Part 1 provides an introduction to the seven Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes and their associated materials to support in decision-making about whether AM can be adopted by your business.
This eLearning module is aimed at business decision makers, engineering teams and anyone with an interest in learning more about Additive Manufacturing and is available to study for free.