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[January 2006]
Agency Cash Boost for Ceramic Industry Forum
Advantage West Midlands has agreed a three-year funding package of around £475,000 to enable the Ceramic Industry Forum to continue its work helping West Midlands ceramic companies improve their productivity and competitiveness.
The Ceramic Industry Forum (CIF) was established in September 2000 with the aim of helping ceramic firms improve manufacturing processes, adopt innovative design and marketing and make better use of skills.
Since then CIF has helped dozens of firms fight back against the threat of cheap imports by helping them to launch 1,600 new products and enabled companies to make £3.7 million worth of efficiency savings thanks to innovations designed by CIF’s process improvement engineers.
With continuous improvement and innovative design and marketing identified as some of the critical success factors for the ceramic industry, CIF has invested the majority of its funding from the DTI into helping the industry with innovative design, forward-looking marketing and cost savings from improving manufacturing operations.
CIF also managed the successful University on the Shop Floor project, funded by Advantage West Midlands, which has provided 60,000 hours of continued learning and training opportunities enabling staff employed in the ceramics industry to improve and diversify their skills through the establishment of Learning Centres and an on-line portal containing innovative learning materials provided by the industry.
Sue Evans, Chief Executive at the Ceramic Industry Forum, said: "The ceramic industry has had to respond to the new challenges of a globally competitive market place and the continual trading difficulties posed by high energy costs and competition from overseas manufacturers.
"We are delighted at the continued financial support from Advantage West Midlands so that the CIF can continue to help the industry.
"There is a significant core industry of major brand names and small and medium-sized enterprises which are positively responding to market-place challenges by listening to customer needs, producing imaginative new products, improving their manufacturing and investing in their people.Marie Greer, Director for Staffordshire at Advantage West Midlands, said: "The Agency’s funding of CIF will have a positive impact on the industry, providing intensive business assistance to around 50 firms and skills development for around 200 people.
"Advantage West Midlands has a key priority to develop a diverse and dynamic business base – and we recognise that a competitive and innovative ceramics industry has an important strategic role to play in the region’s future prosperity."
Dr Roy Hodgkinson, of H&R Johnson Tiles Ltd, in Tunstall, who is chair of the CIF Board, said: "The financial support from Advantage West Midlands is a terrific confidence boost to the local ceramic industry.
"It will enable CIF to continue its work helping firms adapt to meet the challenges of a changing economy."
ENDS