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Workers at a West Midlands manufacturing company, whose jobs were threatened by the collapse of MG Rover, have been taking part in a unique new training scheme which could help thousands of others facing redundancy.
Twelve staff at WH Smith & Sons (Tools) in Minworth, Birmingham, were this week being supported by Skills4Auto, the Midlands spoke of the Automotive Academy, as part of a pilot project. The project could be extended across the country to companies in the automotive supply chain.
The privately-owned company, which employs around 400 people, supplied parts to MG Rover and was affected when the Longbridge-based motor manufacturer collapsed.
It applied for a business support package in place for companies in the MG Rover supply chain. The MG Rover Task Force established the £20 million Advantage Transition Bridge Fund (ATBF) to help suppliers and dealers hit by the collapse.
The bid was successful and the company now receives a five-week wage subsidy for the 50 affected workers. The grant is intended to provide the company with breathing space in the short term and, in the longer term, help to develop new opportunities.
Managing director Colin Sarson said: “The training programme being facilitated by Skills4Auto will help our staff learn new skills as they make the transition from working on our MG Rover project to being deployed in other areas of our business.
“They have been learning Business Improvement Techniques, such as reducing waste, improving quality and therefore increasing profits – lessons that will help move our business forward. Our hope is that other local companies affected by the demise of MG Rover will benefit from the training programme in the near future, reducing the need to make redundancies.”
Colin is a board member of Skills4Auto and was approached by the organisation to help formulate a response to help MG Rover suppliers.
Steve Allcott, programme manager at Skills4Auto, said it was thought to be the first automotive training programme staged as a direct result of MG Rover’s collapse.
He added: “We are delighted to be involved in helping the MG Rover supply base by facilitating these courses.
“Business Improvement Techniques is a standard methodology in the automotive trade. The Automotive Academy and the Industry Forum have condensed all the information into one bespoke best practice programme which we are hoping to deliver across the UK.
“Colin and his team at WH Smith & Sons volunteered to help us stage this pilot for the national programme which we will roll out to any companies in the automotive supply chain, from one-man bands to a manufacturer employing 30,000 people. It will help because then all companies dealing with any major motor manufacturer will be singing from the same song sheet, using the same tools, terminology, methodology and processes.”
WH Smith & Sons works with some of the world’s largest and most elite motor manufacturers. Recently the company picked up a special award from Toyota after accelerating into top gear in a niche sector of the global automotive market.
In less than 20 years the company has grown from producing no gear knobs at all to a point where drivers in more than 10 million vehicles worldwide use gear knobs supplied by the Birmingham-based company.
Established in 1933, WH Smith & Sons Tools is a supplier of plastic injection moulded components, tooling, and assemblies. It is a progressive company with the ability to handle customer orders from component design through tool manufacture to moulding and, where necessary, assembly of components.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
• Skills4Auto has been formed as a publicly funded organisation to support the Midlands’ automotive sector.
• Skills4Auto aims to make businesses aware of the impact training and development has on their competitiveness
• Skills4Auto ensures firms in the Midlands region have access to high quality training by offering free training needs analysis and matching training providers into businesses. Skills4Auto is not a training provider.
• Skills4Auto is working to encourage more young people to pursue a career in the industry.
• Skills4Auto is a spoke of the Automotive Academy
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