Throughout the year, the Business Resilience Group has organised a multitude of activities and thought-leadership events, which highlights the variety of collaborative capability improvements covered with members.
Safety Group
Novares, Elring Klinger, and Faltec supported a visit to Turntide’s site. During the shop floor tour, which included an on-the-go Q&A session, Turntide showcased their assembly processes for high-performance energy storage systems. It was valuable for members from more traditional sites to witness Turntide’s “clean” process and learn about their expansion plans, particularly as Turntide is a key player in the electrification arena.
Additionally, the safety group has been tasked with considering a “best practice matrix,” a proven approach in other groups. This matrix facilitates visits, adoption of best practices, and collaboration beyond formal meetings.
Energy Group
The NEAA Energy Group had an energising plant visit at Lear, fresh from their recent achievement of the NEAA Environmental and Sustainability Award. Attendees from Komatsu, Unipres, Nifco, and Elring Klinger engaged in discussions on various topics, including:
- Best practices for minimizing heat loss.
- Implementation of “Dimming Lights” on break system.
- Information on LED light manufacturers.
- Introduction to Monitron AWS condition monitoring.
- Overview of BMS methodology.
- Awareness of Lear Energy playbook.
Following the discussions, attendees enjoyed a plant tour. A big thank you to Anjelika Booth and Dennis Baxter for hosting the visit and providing valuable insights.
Assembly Group
Following the successful initial assembly group activity at Komatsu, the group is now in the planning phase for the next activity, which will take place at Elring Klinger in Redcar. This aims to continue with the same team from Komatsu, Marelli and Elring Klinger.
The focus of the upcoming activity will be on Elring Klinger’s Schoen 150 equipment and Platine line, where there is a high level of particulate (dust) in the area. This particulate matter contributes to secondary damage, so the objective is to implement strategies for reducing or eliminating contamination using a collaborative team approach.
HR Forum
Eleven members participated in this forum, reflecting strong support amidst ongoing people challenges. Key areas discussed and shared included:
- Sunderland City Council’s transport survey on bus service suitability.
- Presentation by EPNE and NC Group on Retention Bootcamps.
- Availability of KPIs online for real-time updates to aid decision-making.
Key issues identified and remaining are:
- Absence linked to mental health.
- Recruitment and retention.
- Attractiveness of the sector.
Moving forward, the HR Forum will be led by Mark David, NEAA’s Skills Project Manager, with support from Stuart McGivern and Laura Gage. The NEAA extends thanks to Hayley Cheel at Adient for her work over the last three years as the member Lead for the HR Forum and welcomes Diane Elgar at Vantec Europe as the new Lead, who has assumed this key role.
Centre for Digital Supply Chain Excellence launch at Northumbria University
Stuart McGivern, NEAA Project Manager, participated in this event as part of the NEAA’s strategic partnership with Northumbria University, with support from members NBT and Unipres. The initiative focuses on digitally linking supply chains, a process that requires trust but offers numerous benefits, including traceability, recyclability, product reuse, better understanding of cash flow in the supply chain, reduction of overconsumption and addressing Scope 3 emissions.
Moving forward, the priority is to identify quick wins that can be shared with members, advancing the collective effort towards more sustainable and efficient supply chain practices.
