Boring, dirty and with no chance of progressing through the ranks. These are just some of the thoughts of young people when you ask them what they think of UK manufacturing. It is no secret that the industry has, for years, struggled to gain the interest of young people.
EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, warned at the start of the year that parents, teachers and employers need to make 2017 the year that they help to inspire the UK’s next generation of manufacturers and engineers (http://bit.ly/2uoMoVl). Our retirement survey (http://bit.ly/2x8QArO) in April also warned that industry faces Armageddon if it fails to recruit more young people, with 65% of respondents looking to retire in the next five years, but just 28% saying there is a plan in place for when they go.
Manufacturing Management (MM) is a strong believer that young people are the future of the industry and, by educating them from a young age, manufacturing can again become the thriving sector it once was. To put words into action, we teamed up with Broadstairs-based Fujifilm Speciality Ink Systems (SIS) in June to give 29 pupils aged 10 and 11 from St Vincent’s Catholic Primary School, Bromley,
a glimpse into the world of ink manufacturing.
Opening the mind
It was unsurprising to both MM and Fujifilm SIS that the group of school children were not interested or had never consider what a job in manufacturing could be like. Just two of the 29 raised their hand when asked by continuous improvement manager Gary Burgess if they would like to work in a factory.
However, the group did have some knowledge about what Fujifilm SIS makes and what they would see on the tour. “Colours,” one child shouted. “How things are made and the process they must go through before being taken away,” another said. “Loads of machinery,” a third laughed.
They weren’t wrong. At their Broadstairs plant, Fujifilm SIS develop inkjet systems for wide-format applications, for distribution through Fujifilm sales channels worldwide. Other UV inkjet inks are also developed and supplied to industrial and wide format OEMs directly. A typical inkjet system combines UV curing inkjet inks, developed and manufactured in-house, with printer platforms developed with, and supplied by an external supplier.
Little did the children know, they were about to have their eyes and minds blown wide open by the 2016 BFA winner for Best Process Plant and Continuous Improvement (http://bit.ly/2uPra4d).
Touring the site
The group was divided into two. One group went on a tour of the factory with Gary Page (above) and Adam Murrell, both CI process specialists, while the remaining group stayed with Burgess to play a series of manufacturing games that normally put job applicants through their paces.
The tour began by walking through the packaging, engineering and HR facilities on site before heading out into the yard, where Fujifilm SIS uses solar panels to generate energy. As soon as the group began the tour, questions were being flung around left, right and centre to keep the Fujifilm team on their toes.
The children also saw the goods-in area, where coloured power is stored in a very specific order to stop contamination. “What are the bags for and why are they all lettered,” one girl asked. Page responded: “It’s so the collector knows where the materials he needs are. All the collector has to do is search the powder and it will say where it is being stored.”
The group then made their way to the screen ink part of the site – emulsions for screen printing – where they were shown some of the old technology. On the way, they also passed the tank farm, which was widely described as both “cool” and “awesome”. “This is amazing,” one child shrieked.
Once the children had passed through the old analogue facility, they then made their way to the new state-of-the-art digital factory and packaging facility, where Fujifilm SIS has invested in the region of £5 million over the last six years.
In the packaging facility, the children were shown the range of packaging materials that Fujifilm uses. Murrell even gave a live demonstration of how the packaging process works. The children then got to visit the warehouse to witness how much ink Fujifilm SIS turns out and where it goes. The excitement was palpable as forklift trucks drove past with boxes and pallets ready for shipping.
The group that remained behind in the boardroom played a series of games. One was a ‘goods-in/goods-out’ game. One child was goods-in, while the remaining children were machinery. Several balls were given to the goods-in child, who had to pass them along to the machinery. Every piece of machinery had to touch all the balls before they left the factory. The children were timed, with the aim of beating the process times of an imaginary factory down the road - the group soon developed CI strategies of their own to improve their performance.
Perception change
Once both groups of children had been on their factory tour and played the manufacturing games, Burgess put the same question he asked at the beginning of the day to the children again. “How many of you would consider working in a factory when you are older?” This time, more than 90% of the children raised their hands with big grins on their faces.
Burgess said: “People think that a factory isn’t a good place to work but hopefully, by seeing what you have seen and the games you have played, we have been able to change your minds.” Something that not only the children agreed with, but the parents too.
Max Gosney, former editor of MM, who helped organise the visit, added: “The industry suffers from a bit of a problem that we can’t seem to attract young people to come and work. There is a big image problem, so what we are trying to do today is give these youngsters an insight into what working in a manufacturing site can really be like.”
Before the tour began, MM believed that even if we managed to change the mind of one child and their view on manufacturing, then it would have been a success. But to see nearly all of the class raise their hand to the idea of working in a factory shows that UK manufacturing still has something to offer. Should we be doing more with younger children to get them interested at an earlier age? The tour of Fujifilm SIS suggests, absolutely.
Kids on tour:
“I was thinking there would be big chimneys making lots of smoke and I thought it would be very old. But, it was very interesting. I thought it was only a one-step process before I came here. I now realise there is a lot more,”
Chloe Gregory, age 11
“The factory tour was really good. I liked the machines that they used. It would be fun working here,”
Michael Borsthowe, age 11
“The manufacturing games were fun because we were together and using teamwork. I wouldn’t mind working somewhere like this,” Amber Weadock, age 11
“I thought it was cool seeing the machine that turns the ink. I was expecting to see a lot of trucks and ink all over the floor, but it was a lot cleaner and more organised. I would be delighted to come back here,”
Tahmere Carty, age 11
Ink-credible:
“It is important to give back to communities and open people’s eyes to UK manufacturing,”
Adam Murrell, Fujifilm SIS
“In real life all you ever see is the final product, so it was interesting to see how all these different aspects go in, which you never think about,”
Mr Morgan, teacher
“When I was at school I didn’t get many opportunities to see what there was out there, and this is perhaps one avenue that could open eyes. Any industry, not just manufacturing, would benefit from schools visiting,”
Gary Page, Fujifilm SIS
“It was an incredible day. The kids have enjoyed it and I have enjoyed it. I think my son would love a career in manufacturing. He would love to be an engineer,”
Marisa McDermott, parent
“There is a stigma around working in a factory. This was
a great opportunity to get the kids involved, have a look around the factory, and hopefully find some stars of the future - it’s a fantastic choice of career,” Gary Burgess, Fujifilm SIS (below)
