Best practice and innovation at 6th annual Brammer manufacturing forum and awards

The keynote address was given by Professor Mike Sweeney, Emeritus Professor of Operations Management at Cranfield School of Management, who discussed the role that manufacturing can play in rebalancing the UK economy and how manufacturing leaders can play a key role in delivering this change.

More than 150 delegates attended the Manufacturing Forum – held at Rotherham’s Magna Science and Adventure Centre - which focused on the delivery of operational performance improvements through optimised maintenance spares procurement and management.

Three case studies illustrated how outsourcing whole or part spares procurement could improve efficiency and save money. Chris Ditton, Programme Manager at Tata Steel, delivered a real life case study covering all the UK plants showing how optimising the value extracted from MRO stores inventory has led to streamlining operations, avoiding duplication of parts inventories across different sites and identified parts to be scrapped such as some 60 year old bearings.

Following the Manufacturing Forum, attention turned to the annual Brammer awards which recognise excellence in product and service innovation, new technology and the need for continuous improvement to help customers improve the performance and competitiveness of their manufacturing operations. The award winners were as follows:

Tata steel were nominated for two of the awards in the following categories but were piped by the winners as indicated.

− Sustainable Manufacturing – Kraft Foods
− Increased Production Uptime – Alcoa
− Reduced Maintenance – Diageo
− Outstanding Achievement in Continuous Improvement – Premier Foods

Delegates also had the chance to view Brammer’s Mobile Centre of Excellence which features product displays and video demonstrations from many of Brammer’s world-class supplier partners, including SKF, NSK, Parker, SMC, Festo, Norgren, Rocol, 3M, Ansell, Roebuck and Kimberley-Clark.

Brammer UK is part of Europe’s leading distributor of industrial, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) products and services, with an extensive product range covering bearings, mechanical power transmission products (including gearboxes and motors), pneumatics, hydraulics, seals and industrial automation. The company is an authorised distributor for many of the world’s leading brands including SKF, NSK, Renold, Parker, Siemens, Flender, SMC, Norgren, Festo, Rocol, 3M, Loctite and Schaeffler UK.

For more information on the range of products and services available from Brammer, visit www.brammeruk.com