Pictured above: members of the Coventry & Warwickshire
SC21 Cluster
Aerospace businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire have joined
forces to ensure they remain fit for the future by embracing best
practice as defined by the hugely successful SC21
programme.
The Coventry and Warwickshire SC21 Cluster launched at Meggitt
Aircraft Braking Systems with the aim of getting local businesses
ready for SC21 award recognition over the next 12 months.
SC21 is a national supply chain improvement programme designed
to make the UK aerospace and defence industries more competitive
internationally. It offers a range of cost-saving, quality
improvement and relationship-building benefits to aerospace and
defence industry suppliers.
Councillor Gary Ridley, Cabinet Member for City Development,
said: "The cluster is for serious players with an interest in the
aerospace industry and I am delighted with the high level of
engagement and commitment that has been shown at this early
stage."
Cliff Johnson, the SC21 Project Manager at Manufacturing
Advisory Service - West Midlands, added: "By helping those with the
vision to embark on the SC21 improvement journey we can ensure that
aerospace companies in this region improve their performance in the
short term and are 'match-fit' when the projected upturn in this
sector kicks off."
The cluster was borne out of the Coventry and Warwickshire
Aerospace Forum (CWAF) and currently consists of Meggitt ABS,
Firthstones Engineering, Technoset, Lightning Aerospace, Powerkut,
Woodcroft Engineering and ANT Industries.
It is endorsed by Phil Curnock the SC21 National Programme
Manager at Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) and Andrew
Mair Chief Executive of the Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA) who
concluded:
"This cluster was started to accelerate company competitiveness
in line with the national programme as defined by the SBAC and I
have been impressed with just how quickly it has taken off."
The cluster members will develop both individually and as a
group, with group workshops taking place quarterly under the
specialist mentoring of Tom Townsend of TPT Consultancy and
Training, a recognised Training Provider to the SC21 Programme.