Category: News & Updates

Ensuring that the manufacturing industry is completely future-proofed is an essential and ongoing task that the government and leading companies from within the sector are constantly seeking to solve and refine. The government’s recent announcement that the Materials Science Technologist (Level 6) Degree Apprenticeship has been approved, after two years of development, has spread optimism within the industry that the UK is prepared for the future.

We take a closer look at exactly what the course entails, whilst also taking a wider look at the impact this course, and others, will have on the future of the manufacturing industry.

 

What Is Included in The New Apprenticeship?

The Materials Science Technologist Degree Apprenticeship provides a bachelor’s degree and extensive workplace experience, which allows all apprentices who have completed the course to easily transition into a fully-fledged job within the industry. Following the national programme’s approval by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, this course is available to all students, universities and employers in the UK.

One of the major benefits this particular apprenticeship provides to employers is that it is completely customisable and can be amended to meet the needs of any manufacturing organisation. For example, students can work with almost any materials within a manufacturing setting, from metals to rubbers and composites – this makes it perfect for almost any manufacturing business to take on students for work placements.

Industry experts have already applauded the governments decision to back this new course, with many of them stating that it is the ideal opportunity for the industry to address the ever-growing skills gap within manufacturing. Industry bosses are hopeful that the course will allow students to undertake technical on-the-job training, allowing them to be more prepared for a career within the manufacturing and engineering industry.

At present, the course is being supported by Staffordshire University, Sheffield Hallam, Queen Mary University of London, the University of Birmingham and the University of Derby. However, the number of universities offering this course is expected to rise in the coming years due to the inevitable popularity of the course.

 

Addressing The Skills Gap In the Manufacturing Industry

It’s no surprise that an apprenticeship such as this has been approved by the government, with cries from the sector about the lack of skilled workers exiting current university courses. There’s been no lack of coverage about the sheer lack of young skilled workers entering the manufacturing industry in the last few years; with more experienced and skilled workers coming towards retirement age recently, companies have struggled to replace those workers with young employees of a similar calibre.

The vast majority of manufacturing employers have made it clear that they were struggling to find young people coming through university with the necessary qualifications and skills that would enable them to fit into their business quickly and effectively. Whilst manufacturing bosses conceded there would be an inevitable bedding in period for any graduates coming directly from university, there was no evidence that some young workers were anywhere near ready for the fast-paced nature of the manufacturing industry.

The new course that has been introduced will give students a far more advanced look at manufacturing and the science of materials used throughout the sector. This will inevitably lead to the students going into the workplace with a far greater understanding of how materials can be best used in practice within a manufacturing setting. Beyond this, the course will place heavy emphasis on more problem solving and effective production techniques, two skills which are at the heart of any manufacturing business.

The hope is, that by best preparing young people on the course for working life within this new apprenticeship, the transferable skills they learn from within the course will help to alleviate some of the concerns manufacturing businesses have about the ever-growing skills gap within the industry. Whilst it’s fair to say that only time will tell if the new apprenticeship will have the desired effect, there is genuine optimism from those within the industry that this course could well be the start of a more effective form of apprenticeship within the industry.

At European Springs & Pressings, we understand just how important it is to consistently grow our young workforce, that’s why we have been taking on apprentices for a number of years now. Our position as one of the UK’s leading spring manufacturers allows us to take on a number of eager apprentices each year, as we look to close the skills gap within the industry by giving each of our young employees the very best education from within our business.

We will continue to refine our apprenticeship offering over the next few years, in line with new government initiatives, to continue providing the industry with capable, skilled young workers.

The nature of the manufacturing and engineering industry is extremely fast-paced and ever-changing. With that in mind, we thought it may be useful to round up some of the most interesting and important stories from the manufacturing industry, so you can keep right up to date with the very latest developments from the sector.

Read on to find out more about how Coronavirus is affecting the supply chain, among other recent news stories affecting the industry.

Coronavirus and the Supply Chain

It’s fair to say that you can’t go on any news website at the moment without seeing a news story about Coronavirus, and the deadly virus is even having an affect on supply chains from a whole host of industries. Manufacturing supply chains are facing months of disruption, as factories around the world are struggling to operate at full strength due to the outbreak.

How Does The Future of Mobility Look?

In the automotive world, there is an obvious shift in the thinking of manufacturers. With more and more emphasis being placed on the evolution of electric vehicles and phasing out diesel and petrol vehicles over the coming years. Whilst a lot has been said about the future of mobility, an article from The Engineer delves deeper into the topic, paying particular attention to the issue surrounding vehicle charging speed.

At present, the charging speed of vehicles seems to be one of the biggest reasons for consumers looking elsewhere when shopping for a vehicle. There is good reason for this, with charging ports not only being few and far between throughout Europe, but also the fact that vehicles take a significant amount of time to fully charge.

Find out more about the future of mobility by reading the article on The Engineer!

Manufacturers Will End Investment Standstill When Brexit Uncertainty is Clear

The Independent have reported that manufacturing companies will only increase investment when the UK’s ‘direction of travel’ relating to Brexit is clear. The news came about from a survey conducted with over 330 companies in UK manufacturing by Make UK. The survey suggests that one in four companies view increasing investment allowances as the main priority for the government, with over a fifth of respondents calling for a cut in corporation tax.

You can find out more about the manufacturing survey by visiting The Independent’s recent article.

Making The Most Of Big Data In Manufacturing

With advancements in all manner of technology, from augmented reality to 3D printing, there is an added pressure to ensure that technology is integrated into existing processes as efficiently as possible from manufacturing bosses. With an ever-increasing pressure from customers, it’s imperative that your business makes the most out of big data, integrating it into each and every step of the manufacturing process to create a more streamlined approach to manufacturing products.

You can find out more about big data in manufacturing by visiting the full article on Manufacturing Management’s website. The piece takes a closer look at why data is so important in manufacturing, whilst also addressing what manufacturers need to do once they have collated and interpreted data.

How To Develop A UK Manufacturing Workforce For The Future

Much has been made about the state of the manufacturing workforce in recent years, with many older and vastly skilled employees coming to the end of their careers, there is a significant shortage of younger workers entering the industry. With that in mind, you may be wondering just how your business can develop a workforce for the future, especially if you are in a situation where many of your key employees are close to retirement.

With an estimated 80% of manufacturing companies struggling to recruit the talent that they need to compete within their field, it’s pretty clear that things need to be done. This article from PES Media gives some great recommendations on how you can succeed in developing young talent within the manufacturing workplace, so it’s well worth a read if you’re in the process of training younger members of the team.

The team here at European Springs & Pressings Ireland pride themselves on being at the very forefront of spring manufacturers in the UK. We know that it’s absolutely vital that we take the time to understand everything that is going on within the engineering and manufacturing industry, so we can best serve our customers and future proof our business operations. If you would like to keep right up to date with the very latest news coming out of the industry, be sure to check in on our blog regularly for the updates from the sector.

The UK has enjoyed a fantastic year in 2019; HMRC have reported that our goods exports have been breaking records and reaching highs of £639bn. In this article, we’re going to be taking a closer look at what this means for the future of UK exports and our predictions for manufacturing in 2020.

Largest Areas of Growth

One of the largest areas of growth occurred in Scotland in the second quarter, where profits on goods exports grew by 14.5% to an astonishing £34bn. It is thought that China played a massive part in this growth because their demand for Scottish goods increased by 213.8%, according to Business Leader.

Within England specifically, the main regions to experience growth were London and the East Midlands, with growth of 10.1% and 9.3% to profits respectively. Brexit has had a massive impact on the landscape of British goods exports and HMRC has reported that since the vote in July 2016, exports from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have increased significantly. It is suspected that Brexit has opened British business to international trade across the globe.

How the UK Compares

Compared to the rest of the EU, the UK has so far exhibited faster growth in exports than the overall rate for the European Union (at 11.9%), according to OECD data released earlier this year. For greater understanding of the depth of this success, we have broken down some of the stats from other key players in the EU below:

Export Growth 2018/19

UK – 13.8%

Italy – 11.4%

Germany – 10.5%

France 10.1%

Not only is the UK doing well statistically, the Secretary of State for International Trade has also voiced their confidence for our future:

‘My international economic department is confident British businesses will continue to excel as we leave the EU and will offer its full support to businesses with the same ambition.’

Brexit means a lot of different things to many people, but some of the most important features have been mass confusion and fears of financial insecurity. While we can’t promise that the confusion will come to an end any time soon, it certainly seems that the financial security of businesses exporting worldwide is unlikely to be compromised by the outcome of the vote.

The Effects of Britain’s Success

Our nation’s fantastic success has been a great boon for our country’s immediate development, but it also bodes well for the future, too. Success encourages trust from other nations, and our success has led to an increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) with UK inwards investment stock increasing by an entire 5% (gov.uk).

Looking Towards 2020

Overall, we might hope to see continued growth for our country across 2020, and that our nation would continue to eclipse our competitors in our export trades. However, various sources suspect the verity of this forecast.

The Guardian, for example, states the deal will determine Britain’s future on the global market, with a no-deal Brexit set to ‘slice almost 3% from the UK economic growth over the next three years.’. The OECD, who collected the majority of data used in this article, have speculated that Britain will be hit hard if Brexit truly occurs on October 31^st, as the lack of access to markets in the EU will likely cause the UK to drop into a recession next year, causing further damage to the Great British Pound.

The declining value of the pound should also be weighed against the perceived growth in UK exports, because while the figures themselves may be rising to never before seen heights, this may mean less when one considers the worth of the fatigued British pound. For example, while the UK’s export growth across 2018/2019 this year has grown by 13.8%, The Guardian estimated last month that since Brexit began the pound has lost 20% of its value.

Securing a deal with Brexit is vital to ensuring that the pound remains strong, thereby securing more meaningful growth for our UK goods export industries. It is vital that business and countries maintain and continue conversation on the topic to ensure that we make meaningful change with Brexit that will encourage long term growth for our nation, rather than change simply for the sake of change.

European Springs and 2020

Throughout this period of economic victory in UK exports and into the uncertain future fogged by Brexit, European Springs are proud to continue to thrive in trying times. As one of the UK’s leading spring manufacturers, we have continued to invest in our company’s future, by purchasing some state of the art machinery which will help to ensure our processes are further streamlined.

The team at European Springs understand just how important communication will be to securing the best future for Britain in the coming months, and we certainly hope to keep you updated on the latest news from our industry and business in the near future.