Manufacturing & Productivity Thrust Team

The aim of this team chaired by a leading manufacturing manager (currently Felix O’Hare from Croda) is to use the knowledge of members with an interest in manufacturing improvement to provide for the process sector in the region:

• Examples of Best Practice
• Advice on Improvement Techniques
• Help with identifying opportunities
• Assistance with finding suitable external experts

The target is to see the region improve its productivity substantially by 2011 and benefits of over £1m have been reported by several member companies through focussing on using best practice. The team have so far:

• Benchmarked regional process manufacturers - new report due in November 2009
• Sponsored the development of a novel OEE analysis tool for batch manufacture
• Held successful seminars on manufacturing Excellence for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries
• Supported the development and use of the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS North East) funded by One North East

The team has 5 main areas of activity driven by its sub groups:

• Manufacturing productivity 
• Logistical performance & operation 
• Maintenance & reliability improvements 
• Engineering & Project delivery 
• Resource Efficiency

Each group is made up of enthusiasts drawn from the sector and meets 2-4 time per year
The group is formally represented on the MAS NE Manufacturing Board where it makes sure the process sector issues are addressed and works with NEPIC’s own Process Engineering Team to address engineering related issues.