Turning the global tide
1 Oct 2007
Those who belive that it is no longer feasible to manufacture chemicals in the UK - a prevailing view for the past decade or so - should check out what is happening at some of the leading-edge operators in the UK industry.
At first glance, for example, the almost 150-year-old Flexsys Rubber Chemicals site at Ruabon in North Wales might not seem a likely base from which to compete with producers in cheap-labour countries, especially in the automotive-related markets it serves.
But (as we report from Ruabon in PE Sept/Oct, p12), management and workers there are achieving just that through a series of initiatives employing best practice in agile and lean manufacturing, asset management and performance metrics.
It is also noteworthy that the improvement programmes at Ruabon over the last six years have not involved major investment. This, apart from the time, effort and care taken to reshape the operation, based on a thorough understanding of what makes things — both personnel and equipment — tick.
Such achievements echo the findings of Roger Benson’s excellent report Cheaper than China (p21 PE March/April 2007) — that ‘lean and agile’ UK process companies can challenge producers anywhere in the world.
Meanwhile, there seems to be a growing awareness of the ethical and environmental issues of sourcing product from companies employing workers in often horrendous conditions on the far side of the world.
If multinationals really do re-evaluate their global buying strategies, their findings may now be very different to what they were just a few years ago.
Please email your views to patrick.raleigh@centaur.co.uk
