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STRONG
SUPPORT FOR PROMOTING PERFORMANCE
 Over
120 participants from throughout the construction equipment
industry attended our first ever event on competitiveness
- the Promoting Performance conference held at the RAF Museum,
Hendon.
Keynote
speaker was Competitiveness Minister, Alan Johnson MP, who
announced that the DTI will provide £15 million over three
years to fund regional centres for manufacturing excellence
and a supporting national network. He welcomed the Construction
Equipment Association’s initiative and stated "Competitiveness
is critical in what is an increasingly global market. R
& D needs to be increased if we are to make the most
of our potential. In 2000 we trailed the US by nearly 25%
in labour productivity. "
The conference showcased the strides made by the UK automotive
sector with its Industry Forum programme, launched as a
partnership between the SMMT, major motor vehicle manufacturers
and the government. The Forum initiative was presented by
Mike Baunton, chairman of the Forum and the President of
CEA member Perkins Engines, with support from the programme’s
Chief Executive, Graham Broome. To date over 400 automotive
supplier companies have benefited from the Forum’s Master
Classes and supporting initiatives. Also at the conference,
master engineers cited real life case studies which showed
how the Master Classes had brought real cost savings and
efficiency improvements. Senior purchasing staff from JCB,
Caterpillar and Komatsu participated in a Q and A session
later in the day, giving their perspective on some of the
key issues in supplier-OEM relationships.
For
more information ask for a free copy of the conference briefing
and/or a copy of Quality, Cost, Delivery - seven measures
for improved competitiveness in the manufacturing industry.
E-mail pam@admin.co.uk.
THE
KEY MEASURES
The
first four programmes developed by the Industry Forum were
Master Class, Value Stream Mapping, Team Leader Training
and Supply Chain Group. The Master Class programme forms
the basis of the project and involves a highly qualified
master engineer in your business to initially measure seven
key performance indicators:
·
Not Right First Time
·
Delivery Schedule Achievement
·
People Productivity
·
Stock Turns
·
Overall Equipment Effectiveness
·
Value Added Per Person
·
Floor Space Utilisation
From
measurement of these key factors, a continuous improvement
programme is agreed
and implemented. The CEA surveyed its members on these issues
and found that 80% felt productivity measures to be important
- but on several key indicators there was definite room
for improvement. The CEA is taking forward the Forum ideas
to examine whether a programme can be devised that is more
specific to construction equipment suppliers. Several members
have already come forward to volunteer to be part of any
pilot programme.
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