Ahoy hoy listener,

This is the next episode of our M&E Week series and today we're talking innovation.

Make UK CEO, Stephen Phipson, talks with pride about the breadth of innovation that exists within UK manufacturing, but also touches on the potential to build on this. He discusses the need for greater alignment between business and government by way of a clear industrial strategy, and references a recent Make UK report, Industrial Strategy: A Manufacturing Ambition.

And later on, editorial team members Tom St John, Joe Bush and Lanna Deamer talk through some examples of manufacturing innovation in action as they look back through some of the facilities that they've visited over the last year and a half or so.

Give it a listen!

Listener, what an episode this is!

Hear about Tom St John and Lanna Deamer's visit to Sweden to see steel manufacturer, Ovako.

In the quiet, picturesque town of Hofors, they got drunk on shnapps, sung a variety of Scandinavian drinking songs - including ABBA songs with alternative lyrics, and were shown a true example of sustainable manufacturing in the European steel sector.

Joe Bush and James Devonshire join them to discuss all that and more.

Here’s another one, listener.

Churned out at the end of a busy 4-day week, but hopefully not lacking in the quality banter department.

We discuss how the chicken ever made it into chicken pox, why doesn’t a Fitbit record your steps properly if you’re pushing a pram? And what unwelcomed household pest is worse, snake or mouse?

And in a bid to make the episode slightly about manufacturing, we discuss some of the news headlines of the week and hear from Susanne Wright

Get ya ears around that. BOSH!

Alright listener?

In episode three of this Sustainability Series, we catch you up on editorial goings on, as well as the usual rundown of headlines in the Sustainability section of The Manufacturer website.

We also take a look at an excellent feature that appeared in the latest edition of our magazine – an article on EV trucks and the good work that manufacturers Tevva and OX Delivers are doing in that space.

And we have chicken pox updates, a vanishing beer, a near death experience and who do you reckon refers to fizzy drinks as pop?

Editorials Tom St John, Joe Bush, Lanna Deamer and James Devonshire return as your hosts.

Hi there, listener.

Your host Tom St John chats with colleagues Stuart Biddle (and maybe Henry Anson) about the partnerships and solutions that are being sought out by manufacturing companies, as the headaches over raw material supply, managing emissions and general global disruption continue to persist. 

We also hear from Nigel Paine, Supply Chain and Operations Director at Britvic, who talks through some of the supply chain approaches of a global drinks manufacturer. 

Enjoy!

We're back!

Tom St John, Joe Bush and Lanna Deamer (James Devonshire was too full of gin) catch up after a few weeks of radio silence.

Find out about Lanna's horrific house move and why it's all a man called Paul's fault. Hear how the start of a stag do turned into a story about biofuel in commercial planes. And see why a recent sustainable headline on The Manufacturer website leads us to calling out social media sensation, Big John. BOSH!

We also preview next week's Industrial Data Summit in Birmingham by hearing from two keynote speakers.

Enjoy listener!

Hi there listener,

After a short break, the podcast returns with this special episode on sustainability - which we're also making episode one of our Sustainability Series.

This is a taste of some of the discussions you might hear at Manufacturing & Engineering Week in June. We have Andrew Frankland from Forest Nation, one of our partners of the event. He talks about some of the communities that his company works with and the impact that sustainable marketing

We also chat with Richard Lloyd at the Park, who gives an insight into what good looks like when it comes to sustainable business practices.

That’s all crammed into this episode, so take a break and have a listen.

Hi listener,

We say farewell to our People & Skills Series, for now, with this season finale.

During a string of factory visits in the Midlands, we visit the sites of TMMX Award Winners in the People & Skills category. Lisi Aerospace and Lander Tubular Products are the two previous winners of this award and both companies feature in this episode. We speak to a wellbeing coach and two young engineers.

This episode was recorded at the UK HQ of FANUC, our podcast sponsors. We start the episode by talking to Oliver Selby of FANUC about the need to secure the future of automation through education.

Hey listener, keeping well?

We have a special episode for you focussing on the topic of people and skills. Separate from our current series on this same topic, this episode is in promotion of Manufacturing and Engineering Week, taking place in Birmingham this year on 7-8 June.

This episode features a fantastic interview with Natasha Lyth, Sustainability Manager at Gripple and Catriona Booth, System Engineering Manager at Thales.

Natasha and Catriona are the two most recent winners of the The Manufacturer MX Awards' Young Manufacturer of the Year Award. Both women sit down with our reporter Lanna Deamer.

Hey listener, fancy another one?

In the fifth episode of this People & Skills Series, we chat to some of the winning categories at The Engineering Trust Awards which took place in Oxford on Wednesday night.

And our hosts; Tom, Joe and Lanna discuss whether apprenticeships are creating the right opportunities for women in manufacturing.

Enjoy!