Gear Up Autumn 2017 PPMA Members Magazine Issue 3

Members Magazine
Issue 3 / Autumn 2017
Apprenticeships
with vision
The PPMA members
engaging with the
teenagers of today for
a brighter tomorrow
PPMA BEST
Shaping the
future of our
industry
Building for our
future
Tomorrow’s
Engineers’
Bryan Berry
on nurturing
new talent

Members Magazine
The skills gap issue
Editorial
Autumn 2017 / Issue 3
3 View from the top
Bryan Berry from Tomorrow’s Engineers discusses how to inspire
the next generation of engineers. Plus, PPMA BEST’s Danny Reed
outlines how the charity is helping to plug the skills gap.
4-5 Business intelligence
Is the perception of engineering among young people changing? Just
how big is the skills shortfall? And what’s the value of STEM to the UK?
6-7 Success stories
How a vision company is engaging the next generation. Plus, the
steps one SME has taken to future-proof its business.
8-9 Industry events/
Seminars, training and networking
Final call for Gulfood Manufacturing, as well as all the essential dates
for your diary over the next 12 months. Plus, training, networking and
seminars, including the Chairman’s Lunch at the Tower of London.
10-11 Linked Up
Top tips on managing apprentices. Plus, busting the myth that
apprenticeships are just for young people.
Editor
Kate O’Reilly
+44 (0)7894 039609
kate.oreilly@ppma.co.uk
Managing Editor
Kirsty Sharpe
+44 (0)1920 821873
kirsty.sharpe@glohouse.co.uk
Editorial Assistant
Lucy Benbow
+44 (0)7971 987761
lucy.benbow@glohouse.co.uk
2017 editorial schedule
To contribute to any of our
forthcoming issues, contact our
editorial team via the details
above.
Winter
The green issue
(copy deadline 13 October)
12-13 Member benefits
PPMA Group recruitment partner Wallace Hind on the importance of
good recruitment, and the latest from PPMA BEST.
14-15 New members
Meet the newest additions to the PPMA family.
15 Get in touch
Contact the PPMA team.
© 2017 PPMA Ltd
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints
expressed by the various authors and
forum participants on this publication
do not necessarily reflect the opinions,
beliefs and viewpoints of the PPMA Group
of Associations.
2 www.ppma.co.uk

The best route to
new talent
By Danny Reed, Business
Development Executive, PPMA BEST
PPMA BEST is a charitable arm
of the PPMA Group. One of its
aims is to encourage young
people to enter and develop
a career in science, technology,
engineering and maths (STEM) within
the processing, packaging, robotics,
automation and industrial vision
supply industries, through education,
training and support.
PPMA BEST has offered support
to member companies of the
PPMA Group since 2014 through
match-funded schemes, as well
as bursaries for apprenticeships
and graduates. During the 2017/18
academic year we will be increasing
this support by taking direct action
and running STEM activities in
schools, alongside a comprehensive
work experience programme.
The activities will be run for
whole groups of year 10 pupils and
will be fully inclusive and accredited
with the Industrial Cadets award.
These fantastic days – including a
headline event at the Manchester
Science Museum as part of the Robots
exhibition – will be fully led by The
Engineering Development Trust or The
Smallpeice Trust but importantly, they
will also be supported by engineers
from member companies, ensuring
that the events are industry-focused
and give the learners a fantastic
insight into the work of PPMA, BARA
and UKIVA firms.
These great initiatives will help
our members to form partnerships
with local schools and colleges and
develop a talent pipeline of potential
graduates or apprentices in the future.
To get involved or find out more,
contact:
danny.reed@ppma.co.uk
www.ppmabest.org.uk
View from the top
Inspiring the engineers
of tomorrow
By Bryan Berry, Programme Director, Tomorrow’s Engineers
Engineering accounts for 26 per cent of
all UK companies. It employs 5.7m people
and generates 26 per cent of UK GDP.
Engineering companies are projected to
have 2.65m job openings by 2024, 1.86m
of which will need engineering skills.
While there are some positive upward
trends to report in the talent pipeline,
the supply still falls significantly short
of demand. The annual shortfall of
engineers and technicians is projected
to be at least 45,000 but could be as
many as 85,000, largely depending on
the extent to which Brexit affects the
recruitment of international students.
If we are to address the skills gap,
we need to engage young people from
all backgrounds, so they understand 21st
century manufacturing and engineering.
We need more of them to understand
how what they learn at school is used in
the real world. Giving them the chance
to talk directly to engineers and engage
in hands-on activities that showcase and
contextualise engineering is at the heart
of the engineering community’s approach
to inspiring the next generation.
Apprenticeship recruitment is
picking up and 2015/16 saw a five per
cent growth in applicants to university
engineering courses; but it would be
wrong to be complacent. Although the
perception of engineering is improving,
to capitalise on this more must be done
to inspire young people and stop girls
dropping out of the talent pipeline at
each decision point.
From strong employment
prospects and competitive salaries to
a varied career at the cutting edge of
technological advances, engineering has
a lot to offer. We owe it to the potential
engineers of the future to give them
every opportunity to understand that and
encourage them to study the subjects
that allow them to be part of it.
Through targeted employer
outreach, regional and local events, an
industry-funded programme of targeted
interventions and high quality careers
resources, Tomorrow’s Engineers aims to
do just that. Tomorrow’s Engineers is led
by a growing network of companies of all
sizes working collaboratively, drawing on
dedicated local expertise and developing
strategic schools engagement activity
that is changing perceptions and opening
up the industry to young people from all
backgrounds.
www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk
3 www.ppma.co.uk

Making
engineering
child’s play
business intelligence
The recruitment crisis facing
the UK’s engineering and
manufacturing sectors has
been well-documented. An
ageing workforce, combined
with a perception of STEM
careers as outdated and
unfashionable, has left the
industry with a significant
employee shortfall. But there
is evidence that the tide is
now changing: apprenticeship
numbers and university
applications are up, buoyed
by strong starting salaries,
job security and the lack of
a gender pay gap prevalent
in many other sectors. For
tomorrow’s engineers, the
future is looking very bright...
“As the UK charts a course for itself outside the EU, a thriving
engineering sector is critical to our future prosperity. To achieve
this, we need to boost the numbers of home-grown engineers.
Unless we take action now, we will be faced with a severe
shortage of engineering talent which will act as a major drag on
future economic growth.”
David Landsman, Director, Tata Ltd
Value of STEM
to the UK
26
Percentage that engineering
contributes to the UK’s GDP
5.7m
Number of employees working in
engineering in the UK – 19% of total UK
employment
£33,689
The 2015 mean salary for those in
full-time STEM employment
Plugging the gap
20,000
Annual shortfall of engineering
graduates
108,000
The number of engineering
apprenticeship starts (England) in
2014/15, the highest for ten years
4/5
Four out of five manufacturing
employers are planning to recruit
apprentices in the next year
All stats: Engineering UK 2017: The state of engineering
4 www.ppma.co.uk

Don’t miss…
PPMA members can download a synopsis of the Tomorrow’s Engineering report,
Engineering UK 2017: The state of engineering, from our website:
http://bit.ly/2vZb5H7
Members can also download a summary of a study by the University of Bath and
commissioned by the PPMA on factors influencing engineering career choices:
http://bit.ly/2g1CZ1c
Changing perceptions
Women in STEM
University challenge
96
Percentage of teachers who would
recommend a career in engineering to
their pupils
3/4
Three quarters of parents view
engineering positively as a career
51
Percentage of 11-16 year olds who
would consider a career in engineering
3.5
Boys are 3.5 times more likely to study
A level physics than girls
8Only 1 in 8 of those in engineering
occupations are women
0
There is no gender pay gap in the mean
starting salaries earned by graduates
across all engineering disciplines
5Percentage growth in the number of
applications to engineering courses
over the past year (compared to all
subject average of 2.7%)
£4,000
Engineering graduate starting salaries
are £4,000 higher than the all-subject
average
2Percentage of UK first degree
engineering graduates that are
unemployed three years after
graduation
5 www.ppma.co.uk

success stories
Engaging with vision
engineers of the future
This vision company is inspiring the next generation of
engineers to ensure a continued pipeline of talent
At a glance
Challenge: How to raise
awareness of the vision
industry as a future career
path
Solution: Highlight the
capabilities offered by
industrial vision to sixth
form students through a
programme of technical
vision projects
Outcome: Some students
have returned for further
work experience and one has
taken up an apprenticeship in
the industry
Machine vision is an enabling technology in
a host of industries, yet companies in the
UK vision industry continue to find it difficult
to recruit engineers with an appropriate
skill set. STEMMER IMAGING has taken a
positive step in this respect by promoting
an early interest in vision at school level
through the Engineering Education Scheme.
Working with nearby Farnborough Sixth
Form College, STEMMER has provided an
opportunity for three successive groups
of sixth form students to participate in
six-month vision projects. These have been
as diverse as developing a football video
game, a gesture recognition control system
for computers, and a food packaging
inspection project.
The vision projects
Each team of students came up with their
own project ideas, which were discussed
in detail before the project was finalised.
Each team member was then assigned
specific responsibilities, with one student
taking the role of project manager. The
projects also contained a strong business
element, with students learning about
the costs of developing a product and
the impact they have on profitability. At
the end of each project, the students
produced a detailed report (in excess of 50
pages) which was independently assessed
alongside other projects from the region.
The first vision project was to
develop a system for tracking a football’s
trajectory during a penalty kick and
investigate ways of implementing the
technique into a smartphone and tablet
app. The second group of students
investigated developing a gesture
recognition scheme for environments
where a touchscreen is not appropriate,
such as operating theatres. The
third project involved the design
and construction of a freestanding
system for automated inspections of
breakfast cereal box packaging. This
system has subsequently been used for
demonstrations at exhibitions, as well
as providing a test bed for engineering
development.
A measure of success
The projects have proved to be highly
successful, both in terms of the recognition
the students have achieved within the
scheme and the aptitude they have
shown to addressing real-life engineering
challenges, as Mark Williamson, Director
– Corporate Market Development at
6 www.ppma.co.uk

Future-proofing an
established business
Investing in apprentices is already paying dividends
for one PPMA Group member
From left to right:
A group of sixth form students work on a system for
automated inspections of cereal box packaging
The completed cereal box inspection system is now
being used for demonstrations at exhibitions
One of the teams developed a system for tracking
a football’s trajectory and implemented the
technique into an app
STEMMER IMAGING, explains: “This has
proved to be a really productive scheme.
Several of the students have come back
to us for subsequent work experience,
including one who is currently working
here during the summer vacation from
her Physics degree at Oxford University.
Another student went on to take up an
apprenticeship with one of our customers.”
www.stemmer-imaging.co.uk
T +44 (0)1252 780000
Further Information
The Engineering Education Scheme
in England & Scotland is for Year 12 or
S5/6 students and is administered by
the Engineering Development Trust.
For more information on this and other
schemes that are available across all
age ranges and abilities, please contact
Danny Reed at PPMA BEST:
danny.reed@ppma.co.uk
Yorkshire Packaging’s (YPS) engineering
department was staffed by an ageing
workforce. With retirement dates
looming, the company urgently needed
to future-proof the department whilst
ensuring it remained at the forefront
of technical expertise and industry
knowledge. In particular, following a sharp
increase in machinery sales, it needed
to find a way to cope with the growing
demand for its shrink wrappers. Although
the sales, production and marketing
departments had some young graduate
recruits, the engineering department was
lagging behind.
The company therefore decided to
invest in an apprenticeship programme
which would inject some youth,
enthusiasm and fresh thinking into its
engineering department. First to join
was Jake Martin, who was subsequently
followed by two further additions to
the team, Kieron and George. Their
contribution has been so impressive that
YPS has nominated Jake for this year’s
PPMA Group Apprentice of the Year
Award.
Making a difference
“Jake has progressed more than we ever
thought possible in the two and half
year that he’s been with us,” says
Olivia Routledge, Machinery Sales
Co-ordinator. “He’s now more technically
qualified on software than all of our
existing engineers and some contractors.
YPS apprentice Jake Martin has been shortlisted for
Apprentice of the Year at this year’s PPMA Group
Industry Awards
At a glance
Challenge: How to futureproof
the company and
remain at the forefront of
technical expertise, faced
with an ageing workforce
Solution: Invest in an
apprenticeship programme in
the engineering department
Outcome: The company has
taken on three apprentices,
one of whom is now the
firm’s most technically
qualified engineer, saving
them thousands of pounds
each year
He has become our most accomplished
and qualified engineer for palletiser
installations and servicing. At times, Jake
has had to step up to the position of lead
installation engineer on our single biggest
machinery installation in our history, at a
world-recognised snacks brand. This has
gained the company a major bluechip
reference which will bolster future sales.”
“Thanks to Jake and his exceptional
technical mind and expertise, we can
now offer an optional extra module to
our palletiser customers with each sale,”
continues Olivia. “Jake has single-handedly,
in his own time, developed this extra
software on our palletisers, which was not
something that was asked or expected
of him. Enlisting the help of an outside
contractor to develop this software would
have cost us between £5-10,000. This
addition has now become a saleable
feature on all of our palletisers, retailing at
£3,000.”
www.yps.co.uk
7 www.ppma.co.uk

Key industry events
Forthcoming
Later on
21-23
sep
ProPak Myanmar 2017
Yangon, Myanmar
The 4th international processing and packaging
exhibition for Myanmar.
12-15 Oct 2017
pacprocess Tehran 2017
Tehran, Iran
www.pacprocess-tehran.com
25-27
SEp
www.propakmyanmar.com
Pack Expo Las Vegas 2017
Las Vegas, USA
The continent’s premier packaging event, attracting
over 2,000 industry suppliers and more than 30,000
packaging professionals.
www.packexpolasvegas.com
24-26 Oct 2017
ProPak Cape 2017
Cape Town, South Africa
www.propakcape.co.za
26-28 Oct 2017
Indiapack pacprocess 2017
New Delhi, India
26
SEP
PPMA Group Industry Awards
National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham
Taking place on the first night of the PPMA Show,
the Industry Awards celebrate the finest examples
of excellence across all facets of the industry. This gala
event also features a four-course dinner and comedy
from host Stewart Francis.
Apprentice
of the Year
Award
www.pacprocess-india.com
31 Oct-2 Nov 2017
Gulfood Manufacturing 2017
Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE
www.gulfoodmanufacturing.com
janette.lane@ppma.co.uk
PPMA UK
pavilion
26-28
sep
3-6
oct
11-12
oct
www.ppmashow.co.uk
PPMA Show 2017
NEC Birmingham
Our biggest PPMA Show in 12 years features over 350
exhibitors, a revamped Learning Hub featuring FA boss
Martin Glenn (Day 1, 11.30am), and a packed seminar
programme. The show attracts thousands of quality
end-users every year.
www.ppmashow.co.uk
Japan Pack 2017
Tokyo, Japan
The place where cutting-edge devices, technologies
and services in packaging and related industries from
around the world come together with users and buyers.
www.japanpack.jp
Photonex/Vision UK 2017
Ricoh Arena, Coventry
The UK’s largest showcase event dedicated to photonics
and light technologies.
www.photonex.org
Last chance
to register
23-26 Jan 2018
Upakovka 2018
Moscow, Russia
www.upakovka-tradefair.com
28 Feb-1 Mar 2018
Empack 2018
NEC Birmingham
www.easyfairs.com
20-22 Mar 2018
ProPak Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
www.propakvietnam.com
20-23 Mar 2018
Anuga Food Tec 2018
Cologne, Germany
www.anugafoodtec.com
16-18 Apr 2018
Pack Expo East
Philadelphia, USA
www.packexpoeast.com
13
Nov
School STEM day
Manchester Science Museum
Visit the Robots exhibition to see education come to
life and learn how your business can inspire the next
generation of engineers.
PPMA BEST
featured
13-16 June 2018
ProPak Asia 2018
Bangkok, Thailand
www.propakasia.com
janette.lane@ppma.co.uk
PPMA UK
pavilion
8 www.ppma.co.uk

Seminars, training and networking
Forthcoming
18
oct
19
oct
PPMA Driving Day
Heyford Park, Upper Heyford, Bicester
Our safety and awareness driving day, brought to
you by Ultimate Car Control, is both educational
and fun.
Free for PPMA members.
Introduction to Project Management
Marriott Hotel, Manchester
This practical course offers tools and techniques
to those who have never been trained in running
a project, are working in a project support office,
or are new to the role of project manager. Areas
covered will include: applying and understanding
the use of a lifecycle approach; clearly defining
a project’s purpose; avoiding ambiguity or
unrealistic expectations; understanding the
importance of risk management and change
control; and much more.
PPMA member rate £95 +VAT.
Feature events
Final call for Gulfood
Manufacturing
Gulfood Manufacturing
2017 (Dubai World Trade
Centre, 31 Oct-2 Nov) is the
event’s biggest edition
ever, featuring over 1,500
exhibitors and covering
more than 70,000m 2 .
This growth reflects the enormous opportunities for
businesses in the region. Government figures show the
food industry currently makes up around 11 per cent of
the nation’s GDP and the UAE food trade is forecast to
grow by a staggering 70 per cent by 2030. Plus, in the
last few weeks, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister
of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, unveiled plans for a
Dh5.5bn (£1.15bn) food business park that will help make
the emirate the region’s leading hub for food exports.
It’s clear that Dubai offers some great new business
opportunities for exporters.
To secure your place at the PPMA UK pavilion, contact
janette.lane@ppma.co.uk
www.gulfoodmanufacturing.com
31
oct
7
nov
15
nov
1
dec
Stay up to date
Networking Event – Industry 4.0
Arla Foods, Leeds
The next Industrial Revolution is coming…is
your company ready? The Industrial Internet of
Things and Industry 4.0 will increasingly impact
machine builders, while advances in technology
are already blurring the boundaries between
the digital and physical worlds. Learn what this
means for your business at this half-day event.
Featuring sessions on machine and mechatronic
design, automatic integration, and possible new
business models, the event also includes a Q&A
session and light lunch.
Free for PPMA members.
CE Audit
Marriott Hotel, Manchester Airport
Aimed at machinery purchasers as well as
manufacturers, this course will cover what
information is reasonable to share and will
explain what to check in a Technical File and the
documentation required.
PPMA member rate £95 +VAT.
Sales Skills for Non-Sales People
Marriott Hotel, Northampton
This one-day sales training workshop is designed
to help boost your sales effectiveness, covering
topics including: conversation openers; ways to
increase trust and rapport; ensuring confidence
when presenting price; and effective follow-up.
It will also look at the most common reasons
why businesses do not reach their sales
potential, such as ineffective planning and poor
questioning.
PPMA member rate £95 +VAT.
Chairman’s Lunch
Tower of London
Join us for first-class networking and superb food
at this historic venue.
Free for PPMA members.
To book your place on any of these events, or for questions and
comments, call 020 8773 811 or contact
christine.jordan@ppma.co.uk
9 www.ppma.co.uk

Linked Up
Tips, advice and queries from the PPMA Group membership.
Could you mentor the next generation of
engineers?
PPMA BEST is looking for PPMA Group member companies
to support STEM day activities and offer work experience
placement(s) during the 2017/18 academic year. Taking place in
November, each STEM day will be located close to interested
member companies and will engage with 120 year 10 students;
we currently have over 100 interested schools. In addition,
supporting companies are asked to offer work experience
placements to year 10 and/or year 12 students in the spring and
summer terms.
For more information on what’s required of the STEM day role
models and the work experience mentor, please contact
danny.reed@ppma.co.uk
Apprenticeships aren’t just for engineers
Multipix Imaging takes the role of educating the future generation seriously.
Directors Julie Busby and Peter Hunt were both apprentices themselves and
the company not only employs apprentices at its head office in Petersfield,
Hampshire but is also a patron to the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre
(AMTC) in Coventry. Julie Busby and Support Manager Stefan Fox personally train
apprentices on machine vision and provide them with an introduction to this
exciting and growing area of industry.
Multipix recruited two apprentices in 2015, but not in the field of engineering; one
is employed in IT Support and the other in Digital Marketing and Social Media.
Both successfully completed the 12-month course and Kerry Walker was offered
full-time employment in the marketing department. Earlier this year, the company
employed a new apprentice, Thomas Clarke, who had previously completed Level
3 IT Support. Under the new apprentice standards scheme, Thomas has now
started Level 4 Software Developer and has already proved to be a valuable
member of the support team.
“It is our ethos that every apprentice is
treated with respect and rewarded for
their efforts, with the intention to offer
full time employment on completion,”
says Julie Busby. “It’s a two way street
– you provide the correct environment
and support for young people and they
will excel. In return, you are rewarded
with new employees that have the
relevant skills, immediately contributing
to the success of the company.”
www.multipix.com
Julie’s top tips:
• The quality of training by
apprenticeship providers can
vary dramatically, so careful
research is required before
committing.
• Don’t think the onus is on
the provider to create a fully
rounded apprentice with
relevant skills. An employer
must have a clear objective for
any apprentice they employ and
be prepared to invest their own
time and resources.
Top tips for recruiting staff
By Olivia Routledge, Machinery Sales
Co-ordinator, Yorkshire Packaging
Services
• Don’t be scared to shop around –
while it’s possible to find the perfect
candidate in the first interview, they
may not come along until the tenth.
Don’t settle for second best, because
your business is at stake.
• Make use of business-focused social
media channels such as LinkedIn, or
even your own company websites
and e-shots. Getting the right recruit
doesn’t always mean you have to
spend big.
10 www.ppma.co.uk

We believe in apprentices, at any age
By Warren Spiers, Spiers Engineering Safety
When they hear the word ‘apprentice’, most people imagine a school or college leaver.
In fact, the age limit on apprentices has been removed, so today’s apprentice could just
as easily be someone in their late 30s or early 40s who has been made redundant or is
simply looking for a career change.
A build-up of rubbish in Birmingham this summer by striking refuse collectors has
triggered a debate about how a bin man who finds himself being made redundant
might expect to find alternative employment. I have been disappointed by the number
of people resigning bin men to the rubbish heap – perhaps, among them, there could
be someone capable of adding value to my business.
Therefore, after some consideration, we are now ready to advertise our first role for a
mature apprentice. I hope that older people who would not normally have considered
changing career at this point in their life, will take notice and grasp this opportunity with
both hands.
www.spierssafety.co.uk
How to manage and coach an apprentice
By Neil Lewin, Learning & Development Consultant – Industry 4.0, Festo Ltd
It’s easy to think that managing an apprentice is only about imparting
technical knowledge and improving their level of skills. But in the new
apprenticeship standards, which have been designed by employers, there is
an equal weighting on skills, knowledge and importantly, the behaviours that
employers want to see. That’s why the role of the manager is so important.
People learn more from the actions of others than from any textbook and every
apprentice will be gathering information about how to behave in the workplace from
their peers, colleagues and their immediate boss.
Managers therefore have the opportunity to shape the face of the new workforce – but
only if they have developed the right people management skills themselves. A coaching
approach can have a real impact as it relies on questioning and listening, rather than
telling and doing. It encourages apprentices to use the knowledge they have, in the
context of the situation they find themselves in, and make decisions for themselves.
It requires the manager to provide an environment where trust and support are key,
whilst challenging the ‘coachee’ to think for themselves and evaluate the options.
Understanding the coaching process is a key skill for modern managers that can bring
quick results and ensure apprentices add real value to your business. To find out about
open courses and coaching programmes for your managers, go to
www.festo-didactic.co.uk and look at People – Management.
Reaping the rewards
of an in-house
apprenticeship
programme
HepcoMotion is committed to
the development of young,
enthusiastic engineers – since
opening its training school nearly
25 years ago, it has had over 100
apprentices. Many managers
and even the chairman himself
started work at HepcoMotion
as apprentices. Indeed, nearly
50 per cent of the firm’s
engineering production staff
are either apprentices or former
apprentices.
Today, the company’s
apprenticeship programme
continues to go from strength to
strength under the leadership of
Training Manager Maurice Porter,
who ensures the apprentices
receive a balance of both the
academic and practical skills
required. Maurice firmly believes
that finding out the individual
interest of each apprentice is key:
“If they have a particular interest
in CNC machining or projects, then
this would be the department
we would work towards finally
placing them in. Obviously, this
needs to be balanced with
production demand and the
needs of the business, but we
find that if we can match their
interest with their abilities, they
are inspired, and more likely to
excel in this area. Ultimately, this
benefits both the apprentice and
the business as a whole.”
Hepco was recognised for its
efforts at last year’s PPMA Group
Industry Awards, where it won
the PPMA BEST award. This year,
the company is hoping for similar
success as Hepco engineering
apprentice Toby Cowan has been
shortlisted for the Apprentice of
the Year award.
www.hepcomotion.com
11 www.ppma.co.uk

Good recruitment
equals good business
Member benefits
By Tony Moroney, Managing
Consultant for Wallace Hind Selection,
an executive search and retained
recruitment consultancy that
successfully recruits key personnel for
major organisations across the UK and
Europe.
Every business owner or
manager knows that their
best asset is their staff.
Why then, do so many
pay so little attention to
effective recruitment?
Some people spend more time
considering their new car than they
do thinking about how best to recruit,
yet good recruitment is the key to a
successful business. Similarly, poor
recruitment could be holding your
business back – I’ve lost count of the
number of times that people have said
to me: “Just send over some CVs and I’ll
have a look…”.
Attracting top talent has never been
more difficult and recruitment can be
complex. Ask yourself these three simple
questions:
• Do I know what is happening with
recruitment trends in my sector?
• Do I know what the salary levels are in
today’s market?
• Do I know how to attract the best talent?
As a PPMA member, you have
access to a range of free expert advice
from Wallace Hind Selection, who are
the PPMA Group’s recruitment partner.
Not only have we been working in this
sector since 1996, our team has over
40 years’ combined knowledge, at all
levels and across many disciplines.
We can offer free and impartial advice
on a number of recruitment-related
matters, including salary surveys. In
addition, we can provide a professional
turnkey recruitment solution, at specially
negotiated rates for PPMA members.
The message is simple: take
recruitment as seriously as you take your
business and engage with professionals.
T +44 (0)1604 683310
tm@wallacehind.com
www.wallacehind.com
Wallace Hind Selection is the
PPMA Group’s recruitment
partner. The PPMA Group
has partnerships with
various service providers,
covering insurance, H&S
and employment law,
recruitment, training,
litigation, technical advice
and driver training. To access
any of these services at a
preferential PPMA member
rate, contact
membership@ppma.co.uk
12 www.ppma.co.uk

Understanding members’ needs
By Sidiqa Hazara, Membership Relations Executive
Since our last issue went
to print, we’ve been
extremely busy preparing
for the PPMA Show. We’ve
also been very excited by
the overwhelming number
of entries for the PPMA Group Industry
Awards – good luck to all the shortlisted
companies. I am looking forward to
catching up with some familiar faces
and those I have not met yet at both the
PPMA Awards night and the show itself.
Aside from the show, our
membership team has been busy
focusing on getting in front of members
on a one-to-one basis, organising events
and delivering training and seminars in
various locations. Following the launch
of our regional events, which have
been very well received, we are now
heading for Leeds on 31 October to
hold another Industry 4.0 networking
event, while a BARA event focused on
systems integrators will take place on
13 October at JLR, Coventry. Those of
you who attended our Digital Marketing
Networking Event at the Williams F1
Facility will I’m sure agree how much
of a success it was. We look forward to
continuing to offer further ‘hot topic’
events such as this in the future.
I regularly visit members in all parts
of the country to get an understanding
of what piques your interest and how
the PPMA can assist with future benefits
and services. However, to help us get an
understanding of the bigger picture for
the industry, I would urge all members
to take part in the comprehensive
membership survey being carried out in
October. Please look out for the email in
your inbox.
Get in touch
Our Membership Relations Executive,
Sidiqa Hazara, regularly visits PPMA
members. To invite Sidiqa to visit your
business or find out how to make the
most of your membership, contact:
sidiqa.hazara@ppma.co.uk
T +44 (0)20 8773 5521
PPMA BEST (Business Education,
Skills and Training) is a charity
established in 2014 to encourage
young people to enter and
develop a career in engineering
within the processing, packaging,
robotics, automation and industrial
vision supply industries through
education, training and support. It
is an independent charitable trust
with its own Board of Trustees and
works in collaboration with STEM
outreach organisations and the
education sector to deliver inspiring
programmes.
The charity was set up by the
PPMA Group of Associations for the
benefit of its member companies and
the wider industry. Its aim is to tackle
the ongoing skills shortage and build
the future generation of engineers.
In partnership with the
Manufacturing Technologies
Association, PPMA BEST will be
running an educational outreach
event at the Manchester Science
Museum on 13 November 2017
as part of the museum’s Robots
exhibition. For further information
about BEST and to get involved,
contact Danny Reed, PPMA BEST
representative:
danny.reed@ppma.co.uk
13 www.ppma.co.uk

Welcome new PPMA Group members
Acepak
CWM Automation
Jeros UK Ltd
Acepak offers end-of-line packaging
machinery from shrink-wrapping to case
packing, as well as palletising and stretch
wrapping. The company has a 33-year
history in manufacturing and has installed
over 6,800 machines in 16 countries,
primarily in Africa, Asia and Australia. Most
recently, it has installed equipment into the
dairy industry in the UK.
For more information, contact Dave Grobler:
dave@acepak.co.za
T +27 83 253 2099
www.acepak.co.za
BS&B Safety
Systems
BS&B Safety Systems manufactures and
supplies explosion protection solutions for
process industries. The company’s range
of products includes chemical isolation
and suppression systems, flameless vents,
explosion vents and spark detection, which
undergo rigorous audits and quality control
systems to ensure consistency of performance.
For more information, contact Mark
Shannon:
mark.shannon@bsb-systems.co.uk
T +44 (0)7825 834295
www.bsbsystems.com
Codetronix Ltd
Codetronix, trading as Citronix UK & Ireland,
is the exclusive distribution channel of
Citronix continuous ink jet (CIJ) printers, spare
parts, consumables, aftersales and technical
support for the UK & Ireland. Citronix Inc.
(USA), a Domino Printing company, designs
and manufactures CIJ printers to apply
identifying marks to almost any kind of
material or surface. The company is currently
offering a 30-month manufacturers’ warranty
on its new CIJ printers and a special offer
on consumables for companies with legacy
Citronix printers that are still operational.
For more information, contact Ralph Ibbitson:
info@citronix.co.uk
T +44 (0)113 337 2070
www.citronix.co.uk
CWM Automation is a packaging machinery
and end of line automation manufacturer.
Formed in 2006, the company provides
bespoke filling, heat sealing and lidding
machinery and fully automatic end of
line automation solutions to the dairy,
convenience food, bakery, pharmaceutical
and cosmetics industries. As well as UK
companies, CWM’s 50-strong workforce
regularly develops bespoke machinery for
customers across the globe.
For more information, contact Paul Harvey:
paul.harvey@cwm-automation.com
T +44 (0)1427 614222
www.cwm-automation.com
Datalogic
Datalogic operates in the automatic data
capture and process automation markets,
specialising in the design and production of
barcode readers, mobile computers, sensors
for detection, measurement and safety,
RFID vision and laser marking systems.
The world’s leading players in the retail,
manufacturing, transportation & logistics,
and healthcare industries use Datalogic
products, certain of the attention to the
customer and quality of the products that
the Group has been offering for 45 years.
For more information, contact Mari Still:
mari.still@datalogic.com
T +44 (0)1582 790032
www.datalogic.com
FEG Ltd
FEG specialises in design and build, project
management and consultancy for the
food, industrial, manufacturing, process
and pharmaceutical industries. With
expertise and knowledge in an array of
engineering, design, planning, specification
and management disciplines, the company’s
highly qualified personnel offer impartial
solutions to meet their clients’ requirements.
For more information, contact Grahame
Turner:
info@feg-global.com
www.feg-global.com
Jeros UK supplies a full range of utensils,
parts and crate washer systems into the
food and allied industries throughout the UK
and Ireland, with full spares and engineering
back-up from their base in Doncaster.
For more information, contact Terry Hill:
T +44 (0)1302 887677
www.jeros.co.uk
Landfill
Alternatives
Landfill Alternatives supplies over 1,100
customers with waste management
solutions; from a small cardboard recycling
baler for a corner shop to a bespoke system
for a car manufacturing plant. The company
offers a free assessment plus a report of any
potential improvements it can make for your
business.
For more information, contact Doug Barrons:
T +44 (0)1295 816733
www.landfillalternatives.co.uk
Magnum
Materials Ltd
Magnum Materials offers a variety of inkjet
printers for every need. The company’s
Afinia Label full-colour digital label printers
provide exceptional quality, efficient ink
usage and high speed. Magnum’s quality
label industry products make printing and
finishing easier and more dependable.
For more information, contact Rebecca
Whitehead:
rebecca@magnum-uk.com
T +44 (0)161 343 1131
www.magnum-uk.com
14 www.ppma.co.uk

Get in touch
Palletiser
Palletiser designs and manufactures a range
of palletisers and conveyance systems:
product-to-palletiser, pallet conveyance and
integration of associated machines. The
company’s in-house 3D design modelling
can simulate programming and installation
of proposed conveyor systems. Palletiser
also fully assembles machinery, tests prior
to dispatch and provides on-site installation
and continued support.
For more information, contact Kelvin
Gailbraith-Lowe:
kelvin@palletiser.biz
T +44 (0)1892 571140
www.palletiser.biz
Spiers Engineering
Safety
Spiers Engineering Safety is a UK-based
machinery safety consultancy offering
support in all aspects of conformity,
compliance, inspection and risk assessment
of machinery services. The company does
not outsource work; it uses its own expert
engineers to give clients the support and
knowledge needed to make their machines
safe. Spiers offers support for CE marking
of machinery services, PUWER inspection
services and machine risk assessment
services, anywhere in the world.
For more information, contact Carrie Spiers:
T +44 (0)843 289 2624
www.spierssafety.co.uk
Talens
Engineering
Talens Engineering provides effective and
competitive contract engineering services,
specialising in life science applications. The
company’s engineering team supports
customers in the design of specialised
process machinery and laboratory
equipment. Its services include consultancy,
comprehensive engineering from conceptual
design through to detailed engineering, FEA
and CFD computer simulations, prototyping
and testing.
For more information, contact Daniel Cros:
daniel.cros@talens.tech
www.talens.tech
Unitronics
Unitronics is the original manufacturer of
integrated HMI/PLC products. Since the
company started back in 1989, it now
has more than 160 distributors in over 55
countries. From simple standalone machines
to systems requiring in excess of 2,000 I/O
points, Unitronics has a product to suit.
For more information, contact Sean Donelan:
sean.donelan@unitronics.com
T +44 (0)800 206 1017
www.unitronicsplc.com
ppma.co.uk
ukiva.org
bara.org.uk
ppma-group
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ppma-group
https://twitter.com/PPMA_Group
@PPMA_Group
PPMA TV
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW0hgEalJv1jSjjpf-eoJUA
Membership Relations
membership@ppma.co.uk
PPMA Show
scott.mckenna@ppma.co.uk
International Services
janette.lane@ppma.co.uk
Publishing and Advertising
david.chadd@ppma.co.uk
Marketing and PR
marketing@ppma.co.uk
PPMA BEST Charitable Trust
ppmabest@ppma.co.uk
Systech
Systech, specialists in product verification
and brand protection, is trusted by top
pharmaceutical companies worldwide to
ensure regulatory compliance and supply chain
integrity, mitigate risk, and drive efficiency.
Beyond compliance, the company is leading
the charge to protect global brands – for CPG,
F&B, health & beauty, pharmaceutical, and
CMOs.
For more information, contact Alastair Taylor:
alastair.taylor@systechone.com
www.systechone.com
Join today!
For a PPMA Group membership
pack contact
christine.jordan@ppma.co.uk
15 www.ppma.co.uk

Actively helping our
members through
services, tools and
initiatives to thrive in an
increasingly competitive
marketplace