Around 3,500
people work
at the Pyms
Lane factory
containers at its restaurant and cafeterias,
replacing them with reusables. Others are on a
larger scale. The plant operates a water-saving
process using reverse osmosis, whereby all the
wastewater from the plant’s paint shop. Indeed,
even the name of the initiative, Be Sustainable,
was dreamt up by an employee and chosen from a
list of others.
“This engagement didn’t happen overnight,”
admits Bosch. “It’s a certain mindset; they build
a product that lasts forever (see box, p20) that
people really care about. But it also has a lot to
do with the tone from the top, and the message
the board sends out. Luckily, we have a strong
level of participation here. As a board, we check
over the ideas, calculate the impact and then
invest and implement the best ideas. That kind
of feedback to our employees – if they engage,
things can really change – is a very motivating
experience for them.”
Beyond the factory
Outside of the four walls of the factory, Bentley
has a responsibility to its local area. Pyms Lane
is in a residential part of the town, and Bosch
explains how local residents are kept abreast of
the developments at the factory. “We do a lot of
work with the community in terms of education,
neighbourhood help and so on. Bringing all parts
of society together and helping to develop them
is something that is very important to Bentley
Motors, and manufacturing in general. We have
to ensure manufacturing is viewed as a socially
acceptable form of value creation. People today,
we hope, really appreciate having a factory of this
magnitude in their town.”
The supply chain, as well, is becoming
increasingly infl uenced by Bentley’s sustainable
operations. The company has begun auditing its
suppliers’ sustainability. This has only recently
become the case, as Bosch explains: “Before we
pointed the fi nger at others, we always knew we
had to get our own house in order fi rst. Now,
being a role model as a manufacturing site,
we’ve begun discussing with our suppliers about
how they can become more sustainable. The
audit looks at their social and environmental
responsibilities, but it also becomes part of
our contract with them that they have to fulfi l
certain standards and show certain trajectories of
improvement. Ultimately, our vision is to provide
increased traceability, to the extent that we can
say for each and every component in our vehicles,
MARCH 2020 COVER STORY
Why should I be more sustainable?
The reasons for having an increased sustainability focus
have never been more apparent – as Peter Bosch explains
1There is a business case: “Cutting energy use and avoiding
waste also saves money. This is often the starting point
to convince all stakeholders in the fi rm to take sustainability
seriously.”
2It can help with investment: “If you want to purchase a new
asset, often choosing one with reduced energy consumption
can help with funding.”
3You’ll see a boost to your revenues: “Having a reputation
for sustainability will appeal to your customers, meaning it’s
not just good from a cost perspective, but also from a revenue
perspective.”
4People will want to work for you: “People, especially
younger ones, nowadays want to work for a company that is
socially responsible. It will help you recruit people easier.”
5You’ll play your part: “Sustainability shouldn’t be seen as
a challenge, it should be seen as an incentive – it’s a big
opportunity for businesses and the whole economy to grow.”
what the environmental, social
and economic impact of that
part. That traceability and
transparency really adds to
the authenticity of Bentley as
a brand.”
By the end of 2020, Bentley
hopes to have implemented a
full sustainability audit across
its entire supply base.
Future incentives
For manufacturers, having
a sustainable outlook has
never been as prevalent as it
is now – meaning companies
like Bentley are increasingly
no long outliers, but the norm.
For Bosch, this is a welcome
development. “Creating a
sustainable economy is a
national responsibility,” he
says. “There has been a big step
up in awareness over the past
few years as more customers
and employees care about
sustainability. For the UK,
there is a major opportunity
to become a sustainable
manufacturing nation and
export that across the world.
1997
Volkswagen
Group buys
Rolls-Royce
from Vickers
for £430
million
1999
Pyms Lane
becomes the
UK’s fi rst auto
factory to
undergo an
environmental
audit
100%
of the energy used
at Pyms Lane is from
renewable sources
2010
After VW
invests £500m
in the Crewe
factory,
around 3,500
people work
at the plant
2019
Bentley launches its fi rst
hybrid electric vehicle,
the Benteyga Hybrid
1970s
Bentley sales fall
to under 5% of
the cars
produced at
Crewe; Rolls-
Royce’s car
division is bought
by Vickers
www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk 19
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