Lotus, Bentley, Red Bull Racing to reveal secrets at Best of British manufacturing IT event

The event, taking place at Haydock Park near Liverpool on 26 September 2006, is aimed at managing directors, operations directors and directors and managers of finance, IT, production, supply chain, purchasing and design. Organiser Findlay Publications says that delegates can expect ‘warts and all’ advice on: how to prepare for a new IT system; what to expect from suppliers; what IT can deliver and what it can’t; the secrets of successful implementations; and critically, how to harness IT to drive maximum sustainable business improvement. The event will play host to 20 case study presentations in eight streams, covering automotive, automotive supply, parts & components, process industry, project engineering, electronics/high tech, electro-mechanical and configure to order projects. Dave Balcombe, Group Lotus Head of Information Management, for example, will talk about this company’s experience of implementing the Dassault Systemes PLM suite, and the advantages gained from combining 3D design in Catia V5 with manufacturing simulation in Delmia and data management in the Smarteam PLM system. David Lloyd, Stadco Group IT Director, will explain how his company implemented widespread real-time shop floor data collection, developed and deployed a voice-controlled warehouse system and implemented its chosen ERP system at 17 sites in the last 10 years – with the fastest implementation taking less than a week. And Richard Brown, Hi-Tech Mouldings’ operations director, will describe how his company faced down Far East competition by streamlining its processes, investing in new equipment and implementing a radical new ERP system founded on lean and agile manufacturing. This company halved its lead times, cut quotation times from 21 days to five, cut operating costs by 5% and boosted OEE by 12.5%. For further information or to book go to www.bestofbritishmfg.co.uk or contact Kerry Wilkins on kwilkins@findlay.co.uk 0r 01322 221144.