Manufacturing diploma to kick start companies

Manufacturers wanting to fast track productivity and boost profits are being invited to do so through a Diploma in Manufacturing at The Manufacturing Institute based in Manchester. It’s tantamount to free, or certainly very low cost expert and independent consultancy. Thanks to the Institute’s status as a CME (Regional Centre for Manufacturing Excellence) under the DTI’s Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) scheme, it offers scholarship places and distance work. What’s particularly interesting is that it’s designed and driven by manufacturers for manufacturers. High achieving practitioners from 20 top manufacturing companies, like Hewlett-Packard, Kellogg’s, Unilever and Jaguar, work with experts from eight universities on the manufacturing improvement programme. Jim Hickey, operations manager for Magnesium Elektron is one of hundreds who not only boosted his career but achieved company cost savings of £250,000 per year. Says Dr Julie Madigan, chief executive of The Manufacturing Institute: “The Diploma deals with the nitty gritty of what manufacturers really need to know to make their companies thrive. Our highly practical, industry focused programme is a proven route to successful manufacturing management and business improvement.”