FREE MASTERCLASS ON CUTTING COSTS FOR REGION’S MANUFACTURERS

MANUFACTURERS who’ve resolved to start the New Year by getting a better handle on controlling their costs are being invited to a free masterclass courtesy of the Manufacturing Service East Midlands (MAS EM). 

MAS EM has teamed up with the East Midlands Excellence Network to put on the workshop at Rolls-Royce’s Learning and Development Centre in Derby, 23 January (TUES).  

The session will explore how taking a more proactive approach to managing costs can pay dividends when it comes to increasing competitiveness and optimising productivity, especially where manufacturers are developing new products and ideas.  

It will look at the following three techniques for improving cost management:being more aware of costs and margins when designing new products and making sure these products actually will be cost efficient for the businessadopting a ‘leaner’ approach to the way businesses operate by cutting out waste to speed up productionmaking sure that all staff are on board with the quest to drive out waste and reduce costs. 

Lisa Foyster, a business improvement expert on MAS EM’s practitioner team, will be leading the workshop. She said: “This session should be especially useful for manufacturers where maximising margins and reward from launching a new product are absolutely essential. The principle is basically about knowing the price the market dictates and then engineering the product to that target cost.”  

Guest speaker Paul Hobson, director and works manager at Sea Otter Boats, has been instrumental in significantly growing and improving his business which is one of the largest aluminium alloy boat builders in Europe. He’ll be sharing his experiences about the vital role cost management can play in getting new product development right and wrong.  

Paul said: “We’ve turned our business from a loss making operation into a highly productive and profitable one with the help of MAS EM.

This has been achieved mainly by employing a lean approach and revolutionising the way we tackle cost and project management.”  This seminar will be followed by a further three sessions running from February (see details below) all geared towards helping manufacturers improve their game.  

MAS EM provides straightforward advice and practical support for SME manufacturers to help them improve their business competitiveness.  More than 1,400 SME firms in the region, many of them employing fewer than 30 people, have been helped by MAS since it was set up in 2002. Approximately a quarter of those firms have gone on to have in-depth work with MAS which has produced a collective increase in turnover of £30m in that time.  

The sessions are being run through the East Midlands Excellence Network.

For more details about the programme or to book your place, contact Linda Mee at EMEN on 0116 252 5926, email her at ljm18@le.ac.uk or download a booking form from the events section at www.mas-em.org.uk 

To find out how MAS EM can help your business, telephone 01664 501301, email rcme@pera.com or log onto www.mas-em.org.uk