Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd was named among the country’s top performers in the first ever EEF Future Manufacturing Awards. The Lincoln based company walked away with two out of the six Midlands region company awards at last week’s presentation.
Siemens was awarded the Infor Innovative Working Practices Award as well as the Westfield Health Skills Award and the company will now go forward to take part in the national finals of the awards programme, the winners of which will be announced in February 2010.
The awards, which were launched this year by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, have been established to celebrate enterprise, innovation, environmental performance and skills development among UK manufacturers.
Roy Bilton, Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Training Manager receiving the Skills Award from judge, Sasha Bowman of Westfield Health
After receiving the awards, Roy Bilton, Training Manager at Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd said: “We’re delighted to be recognised for not only our training and development programmes but also our efficient working practices. We believe that the key to success in the manufacturing sector is to innovate and invest in skills. As a global leader in innovation, Siemens needs bright young people and is committed to creating a pipeline of talent through programmes such as apprenticeship training.”
The Skills Award was presented to Siemens due to the success of its apprentice training programme. With an emphasis in Lincolnshire on the service sector and rural based skills, the company found it difficult to recruit suitably qualified engineers and therefore set out to develop its own.
Since 1993, over 400 apprentices have been recruited on to the programme and today 59% of its skilled production employees have completed apprenticeships via the company’s own scheme. Their retention and completion level of 85% is way above the national rate of 65% and 97% of those who complete the apprenticeship are offered employment within the company.
In addition to the structured programme, apprentices are also encouraged to support local community and schools initiatives; these include:
- Supporting work experience students on placements within Siemens
- Working with Siemens graduate trainees on a project to renovate the Age Concern Day Centre in Lincoln
- Working with Siemens graduate trainees to support a community project in India, which has included a visit to India.
The Innovative Working Practices Award is given to the company that has designed and delivered innovation in production and business management. This was awarded to Siemens after the company transformed its working practices which led to a 16% increase in efficiency, 30% increase in manufacturing hours and up to 14% increase in overall equipment efficiency.
Paul Birt, Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery HR Director receiving the Innovative Working Practices Award from judge, Emma Rainey of Infor
The Senior Management team at Siemens recognised that an underlying culture of continuous improvement was required to achieve elements of the company’s business strategy with the ultimate aim of putting the customer at the centre of the business.
Based on real demands, the team produced a simple visual management system that allowed them to focus on their customer’s demands. Working to this system on a three shift machine has now gained an extra three hours production per week.
Chair of the judging panel, Dr Palie Smart, Senior Lecturer in Strategic Innovation Management at Cranfield University, said the judges were extremely impressed with Siemens working practices and apprenticeship training programme: “There was a clear transformation into a new way of working, with a specific tool created to help the company achieve its goals and objectives, and improve business efficiency. Adding to that, Siemens’ highly successful apprentice programme meant they were deserved winners of the awards. We were also impressed with how the workforce encouraged work with schools and the local community.”
Martin Wassell, Director of the Midlands Region for EEF, added: “Manufacturers make a valuable contribution to the economy of the Midlands and the UK. Siemens’ awards send a clear message that anyone who thinks the UK has lost its manufacturing edge is dead wrong! The Awards night proved there are companies right here in the Midlands that are breaking down barriers, reinventing the rules and reaching out for new opportunities to create a manufacturing industry we can all be proud of!”
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NOTES TO EDITORS
The Midlands winners were:
The Innovation Category sponsored by Infor
Innovative Working Practices – for the company that has designed and delivered innovation in production and business management
Winner: Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd
Innovative People Practices – for the company that has improved business performance and the working environment
Winner: JJ Churchill
The Environment Category sponsored by British Gas
Environmental Achievement Award – for the company that has done most to improve operational efficiency while reducing its environmental impact
Winner: Paul Fabrications (Derby)
Climate Change award – for the company that has done most to seize the business opportunities presented by climate change
Commended: Weston Body Hardware (Redditch)
(There was no overall Midlands winner in this category though the achievements of Weston Body Hardware were recognised by the judges as ‘leading the way in this emerging discipline’)
The Enterprise Category sponsored by Westfield Health
The Business Growth Award – for the company that has achieved the most dramatic growth
Winner: Cooper Research (Derbyshire)
The Skills Award – for the company that has done most to harness the talent of its people
Winner: Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd
Apprentice of the Yearsponsored by IET.
First Year apprentice winner: Ryan Caroll (18) of BT Openreach in Birmingham
Final year apprentice winner: Annabel Bowkett (21) of Cargill Meat Europe in Wolverhampton
About the EEF Future Manufacturing Awards
The Midlands region winners will compete in the national finals, the winners of which will be announced on 3 February at an awards ceremony in London’s Dorchester Hotel. The EEF Future Manufacturing Awards were launched this year and will be held annually.
The Midlands region judging panel was made up of:
Dr Palie Smart Cranfield University
Sasha Bowman Westfield Health
Emma Rainey Infor
Ken Hutchinson British Gas
Keith Richardson IET
About EEF
EEF is the manufacturers’ organisation. Everything we do is designed to help manufacturing businesses evolve, innovate and compete in a fast changing world. With our combination of business services, government representation and industry intelligence, we provide the skills, knowledge and networks they need to thrive. Around a quarter of the UK’s manufacturing businesses are our members and many more use our services to help them work better, compete harder and innovate faster. Because we understand manufacturers so well, policy makers trust our advice and welcome our involvement in their deliberations. We work with them to create policies that are in the best interests of manufacturing, which encourage a high growth industry and boost its ability to make a positive contribution to the UK’s real economy.
www.eef.org.uk
About Siemens in the UK
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 166 years ago and now employs 18,402 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £3.7 billion. As a leading global engineering and technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors of energy, industry and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
For more information, contact:
Mark Swift
PR Adviser
0207 654 1576
07979 543710
Lynn Hepple
PR Manager
Siemens plc
Tel. +44 (0)191 495 3261
Mob: +44 (0)7921 246 306
