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There is a compelling need
to improve... Today, the Automotive Manufacturing
industry is changing at an ever increasing rate. Competitive pressures
require suppliers to make radical steps forward in manufacturing processes.
Vehicle manufacturers now operate in a global marketplace demanding
ever higher standards of Quality, Cost and Delivery from their suppliers.
Unless those suppliers can put in place a programme of continuous
improvement to achieve global competitiveness, they will lose out
as the vehicle manufacturers look elsewhere in search of the standards
they demand. In addition, the supply base
continues to reduce as rationalisation and consolidation grind inexorably
on. Companies, of whatever size, wherever they currently exist in
the supply network have to become more competitive to survive –
there’s no hiding place in the global marketplace.
As the highly influential report of the Automotive
Innovation and Growth team pointed out in May 2002;
“We have to accept
that an efficient production process is increasingly taken for granted
rather than being the competitive differentiation it was in the
past. if they are to be fully competitive, firms need to be able
to offer innovative products and to have eliminated waste from all
aspects of their operations, and not just in the production area”
An opportunity to take your place amongst the best...
 It
was the recognition of this urgent need for improvement that led
to the creation of the SMMT Industry Forum: a world unique collaboration
between international vehicle manufacturers and component suppliers.
Created by the Motor Industry for the Motor
Industry, its aim is to develop and sustain world-leading
competitiveness in the UK based vehicle and components industry.
To this end Industry Forum has created a number
of programmes based around a Common Approach to enable any company
in any part of the supply chain to make real measurable improvements
in Quality, Cost and Delivery, whilst in parallel improving partnerships
with its customers.
Products
The
Common Approach Toolkit : The programmes are practical,
shopfloor based, process-improvement activities implemented with
a 'hands on' approach by a team of top calibre Industry Forum Engineers.
They work with a company's employees to bring about tangible, bottom
line results, directly impacting on the key business indicators
of sales, profit, cash and margins.
Any manufacturer in the automotive supply chain with
facilities located in the UK is encouraged to participate in Industry
Forum activities and take advantage of the very real benefits.
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