Supporting Manufacturing Skills in Gloucestershire

Tuesday 24 April, 2012

Festival of Engineering: 24 April 2012

Moog’s Growth Problem

What is driving growth in servovalves?Medium sized jets are selling well in S.E. Asia (A320/737; 32 – 44 per month). Large backlogs.Barriers to entry for competitors; once you are on a programme, it is difficult for you to be dislodged.

Festival of Engineering: 24 April 2012

Moog’s Growth Problem

What is the Company’s problem?Inability to create timely additional internal capacityLack of suitable external suppliers with capacityRestricted capital and expertise to automate quicklyFixed prices which gives little leeway for increased salaries, etc.

Improved productivity is the only way to allow increased salaries

Festival of Engineering: 24 April 2012

What has Moog done to increase capacity?

Assembly & TestRecruited a number of ex apprentices or equivalents

Not too many problems getting those people on site

Automated test rigs to improve productivityRate is very slow due to resource

Applied flow line techniques (Lean), two bin, kanban, etc.Work lots of overtime

Festival of Engineering: 24 April 2012

What has Moog done to increase capacity?

Machine ShopRecruited a number of skilled people to work shifts; very few have stayedTried to run CNC machine tools unmanned

Production Engineering skills have been lackingTrying to recruit Production Engineers

Tried to offload initial roughing operations to sub-contract

Limited success as most suppliers are full with no spare capacity for three months

Work lots of overtime

Festival of Engineering: 24 April 2012

The Issues

Very small pool of skilled machinistsWage rates are rising due to insufficient supplyNo need to take a job which works unsociable shifts

Skills of new employees is not what it used to beLonger in-house training periodsMore quality auditsMore inspectionLots of scrap in the Machine Shops

Not enough apprentices coming through the system

Festival of Engineering: 24 April 2012

How has Gloucestershire LEP AE&M helped itself?

Attempted to estimate the future demand in our Sector

2012 – 2014; 2015 – 2020Will work with HE/FE to match demand

Create apprenticeship flyers for companies in our Sector

Started to work with schools to change the perception of AE&M

Trying to get funding for STEMworks in schools

Trying to get funding for internships and supply chains

Planning a video to promote our Sector

Festival of Engineering: 24 April 2012

Moog’s partnership with Tewkesbury School

Created and monitored project work for years 12 and 13 for the last seven years

Recently educated four teachers in the main skills required for AE&M business

Design, Manufacturing Engineers, Operations, Purchasing, Logistics, Quality, Finance, Contracts/Legal, IT, HRActivity funded by GFirst

Plan to take in thirteen students next term to get a general understanding of the above skills plus specific skills which will allow them to set up a business

The plan next year is to run a business making parts for Moog