2010 Conference Report

Manufacturers share secrets of their success at Best Factory Awards conference

Positive signs of significant amounts of production returning from Asia to the west and the value of investment in training were two of the key themes underpinning the Best Factory Awards (BFA) Conference, which took place at the Leicester Marriott on 23 and 24 March.

Manufacturers from sectors as diverse as aerospace, food and beverage, automotive and packaging squeezed into the sell-out event – organised by Cranfield School of Management in partnership with Works Management – to hear the 2009 Best Factory winners discuss their journeys to excellence.

In addition to the invaluable insight shared by the BFA winners, delegates also heard from Nick Brayshaw OBE (pictured), former chairman of the CBI's manufacturing council and now chairman of UK manufacturing for Barclays Corporate. Brayshaw presented an overview of industrial statistics and assured the audience that most manufacturing trends are positive, despite what many may think. For example, he said, UK manufacturing had still seen positive growth of just over 1% in the last 20 years. Exports were growing strongly until Q4 2008 – and are forecast to be positive in Q1 2010 – and he urged the audience to capitalise on sterling's weakness to drive exports further. He added that he believes offshoring to low-cost countries may have run its course as manufacturing is now too fast moving to sustain long lead times from places as far afield as China. "Looking forward, the trend will be for manufacturers to be making product closer to their customers in faster, shorter cycles," he said.

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Best factories report highlights dramatic 20-year change in UK manufacturing

A report examining Britain's best factories over the past 20 years has revealed how dramatically manufacturing has changed in this time, moving away from simply optimising utilisation and driving down costs, and towards value-added business models differentiated through quality, delivery, innovation and service.

The report, from Cranfield School of Management in association with Barclays Corporate and Findlay Media, examines the performance of a diverse selection of UK manufacturers over the past two decades and provides insight on the benchmarking and best-practice manufacturers can adopt for success.

Offering an added value proposition for the customer is the essential link between manufacturers who have won Cranfield-inspired Best Factory Awards over the last 20 years. A crafted business approach towards delivery of goods and service solutions was also clear among the most successful organisations with obvious synergies in those organisations manufacturing more reliable and technically superior products.

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