Certificate in Manufacturing Management (CIMM)

Improvements valued at £1m have been implemented by companies participating in a recent training course.

The six months CIMM course was managed and funded by MAS North East and the Manufacturing Routes project, with training provided by Forward Vision. All CIMM participants were given the practical skills designed to improve their manufacturing processes.

Companies from various sectors took part. From tea blenders and automotive components manufacturers to industrial textiles, companies have reaped considerable benefits through the involvement of their staff.

The Quality Manager of a County Durham company took part in the course. He said that he had been on quite a few courses in the past but the Forward Vision workshops were well presented, providing him with the best and most practical examples of techniques so far.

A senior manager at a Tyneside automotive components manufacturer also attended the course and felt that it provided him with new techniques which can be applied to give measurable outputs.

Enrolling one of its team leaders on the course has reaped benefits for a top tea blending company in the region. Since attending the monthly modules his contribution to the company has improved and he has been promoted.

Putting in to practice what has been learned on the course, a West Auckland based company has freed up 14,000 sq feet of floor space which has since been sold for a six figure sum. The money has been reinvested in the company.

Involvement in the course has brought various benefits to other participating companies. In addition to significantly increasing turnover, a manager at a Newcastle based company has helped drive cultural change within his company and a participant from a Sunderland based company is bringing benefits to his company having generated a host of new improvement ideas.

As a result of these excellent results a second scheme commenced in July of this year (2005).