APRIL 2019 LEADERSHIP DAY
PUT YOUR PEOPLE FIRST
People are at the heart of any successful Industry 4.0 programme, heard delegates
who attended MM’s latest Leadership Day, at JLR’s iconic Castle Bromwich factory
Eyes opened wide, mouths agape, hands
shooting into the air, giggles of excitement
– it’s not often that senior manufacturing
managers are indistinguishable from school
children, but then it’s not every day that
they get to see some of the world’s most
desirable vehicles being made yards from where
they’re stood.
That was the scene at the latest in MM’s series
of Leadership Days, which culminated in a tour
of the historic Castle Bromwich site of Jaguar
Land Rover. Delegates came from across the
UK for a day of hands-on learning and thoughtleadership
advice. The theme of the event,
Engaging your workforce with the Fourth Industrial
Revolution, resonated with a delegation made up of
multinationals and SMEs alike.
Kicking off the day, a panel discussion, chaired
by MM editor Chris Beck, saw manufacturers big
and small share their experience of implementing
Industry 4.0 processes on their site. Matt Cook,
lead host at the Castle Bromwich site, was joined
by Frazer Mackay, operations director at Oxfordbased
SME Crowcon Detection Instruments,
and Jonathan Wilkins of automation specialists
EU Automation.
Three very different organisations, each with
very different challenges and aims. However,
all were unified by what they saw as the most
important step on the road to Industry 4.0 –
getting your people on board. “Empowerment
of your employees is vital,” said Cook. “Even for
a company like JLR, we ensure that everyone is
engaged and there to make a difference.”
Mackay was in agreement, and added that
leadership has a role to play. “At Crowcon, we
ensure that our senior management is visible on
the shopfloor. I personally undertake a weekly
gemba walk on every Friday morning, where
everyone knows that I will be unable to be
contacted. We use the gemba walks to measure
engagement amongst the team.”
Once the people are in place, the technology
can follow, explained Wilkins. “Industry 4.0 is a
continuation of engagement,” he said. “You have
to get the mindset of the shopfloor right before
you can introduce technology. It’s important that
any manufacturer going down the Industry 4.0
route gets buy-in from those who’ll be using the
technology every day.”
Minds suitably engaged, delegates broke into
a series of workshop sessions, hosted by headline
PHOTOGRAPHY SIMON JONES
From L-R:
Jonathan Wilkins,
EU Automation;
Frazer Mackay,
Crowcon; Matt
Cook, JLR; Chris
Beck, MM
partners, Epicor, OEE Systems
and Make UK. These were
designed to provide hands-on
learning opportunities to arm
today’s manufacturing leaders
with the skills and knowledge
they will need to succeed in the
years to come.
“A strong manufacturing
sector is vital for the success
of the UK economy,” said Chris
Beck, MM editor. “Events like
this are vital in ensuring that
those making vital business
decisions in factories up and
down the country are bestplaced
to lead their organisations
through the challenges that are
to come, and understand where
to find the opportunities for
sustainable future growth.”
Manufacturing Management would
like to thank all delegates who took
time out of their busy schedules to
attend, as well as headline partners
Epicor, OEE Systems and Make
UK, plus partners Exel Computer
Systems and DAK Consulting for
their support.
The next Leadership Day will
be held on 3 October 2019 at the
MTC in Coventry. We look forward
to welcoming you there.
Don’t just take our word for it…
Over 90% of those who attend MM’s Leadership Days
rate them as either ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’.
“A very thought-provoking day – great venue & experience”
“First time on a day like today but I found it very informative”
“Excellent day, well worth taking the time out of the business”
www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk 41
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk