Author: European Springs Web Team

The manufacturing sector is driven by innovation, technological advancements, and skilled professionals, and it’s evident that nurturing a new generation of talent is vital for its continued success. This is where manufacturing apprenticeships come into the picture.

At European Springs & Pressings, we understand the significance of apprenticeships in shaping the future of manufacturing. With decades of experience as one of Europe’s leading spring and pressings manufacturers, we have witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of apprenticeship programs on individuals and the industry.

So, we’d like to shed light on the critical role manufacturing apprentices play in driving innovation, meeting industry demands, ensuring a sustainable workforce and hopefully encouraging a new generation of spring manufacturers to join this exciting industry.

Addressing the Skills Gap

The skills gap refers to the disparity between the current workforce’s skills and the skills required by modern manufacturing industries. Manufacturing apprenticeships play a crucial role in addressing this skills gap within the sector. This is because, as technology advances and new processes emerge, there is an increasing need for a highly skilled workforce that can adapt to these changes and drive innovation.

For example, apprenticeship schemes provide hands-on, practical training that equips individuals with the skills and knowledge needed in the manufacturing industry. Rather than relying solely on theoretical education, apprentices gain valuable experience by working alongside experienced professionals, operating machinery, and participating in real-world projects. This practical training ensures that apprentices develop the necessary skills to meet the industry’s evolving demands.

In addition, these training programs aren’t limited to entry-level positions and can be used to upskill and reskill existing workers. By offering apprenticeship programs to existing employees, companies can address skill gaps within their own workforce and ensure that their employees remain updated with the latest technologies and processes.

Workforce Development

As mentioned, apprenticeships aren’t limited to those beginning their career in the manufacturing industry but are often used to nurture a skilled and adaptable workforce. This is because these programs allow individuals to gain practical, industry-specific training and experience, enabling them to develop the essential skills needed to excel in the manufacturing sector. By combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction, apprenticeships create a seamless pathway for individuals to acquire the technical competencies, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork skills necessary for success.

Manufacturing apprenticeships are often favoured over degrees in the same subject because of the practical knowledge and experience trainees get. Of course, this hands-on experience is fantastic for new starters, but it’s also necessary for those already years into their careers, as it reminds them not to fall into bad habits and keeps their knowledge fresh.

Improved Productivity

It may come as a surprise, but manufacturing apprenticeships can actually have a positive impact on workplace productivity in several ways, for example:

• Skill Development. Apprenticeships focus on providing practical, hands-on training that directly relates to the specific needs of the manufacturing industry. This training enables them to contribute effectively and efficiently to various tasks and projects, enhancing overall productivity.
• Knowledge Transfer. Apprenticeships promote the transfer of knowledge from experienced professionals to apprentices. As a result, apprentices quickly become proficient in their roles, accelerating the learning curve and improving productivity.
• Fresh Perspectives and Innovation. Manufacturing apprenticeships often attract young and enthusiastic individuals who bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to the workplace. Their exposure to the latest technologies, methodologies, and industry trends during their training allows them to offer unique insights and creative solutions that can help streamline operations and embrace technological advancements.

Building Strong Communities

As discussed, there are many benefits of manufacturing apprenticeships, but one of the primary reasons they’re so popular for companies in this sector is because of the strong communities they help to build. Manufacturing apprenticeships play a vital role in building strong communities by fostering economic growth, creating job opportunities, and empowering individuals within the local workforce. These training programs provide valuable pathways for individuals to enter the manufacturing industry, allowing them to develop in-demand skills and secure stable employment. When companies invest in apprenticeships, they contribute to local job creation, stimulating the economy and reducing unemployment rates.

In addition, as apprentices gain practical experience and knowledge, they become valuable assets to the community, both socially and economically. This is because their newly acquired skills benefit the manufacturing sector and extend to related industries, further bolstering the local economy.

Apprenticeships at European Springs

Here at European Springs, we’re committed to helping the wider industry by investing in the younger generation and developing our apprenticeship schemes. We offer a range of apprenticeships that provide valuable training and career opportunities within the manufacturing industry. We have designed these programs carefully, ensuring they equip individuals with the skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to excel in various roles within the company.

If you’re interested in working with leading spring manufacturers in this ever-changing industry, we’d love to hear from you. Please take a look at our apprenticeship vacancies and don’t hesitate to get in touch for more information; a member of our team will be more than happy to help.

Exhibitions are incredibly important for manufacturing companies such as ourselves for several reasons. For example, they are excellent networking opportunities and allow manufacturers to connect with other businesses in their industry. This can lead to partnerships, collaborations, and other beneficial relationships.

In addition, exhibitions allow us to showcase our compression springs, flat springs, and other products and services to a large number of potential customers, hopefully leading to valuable leads and new business opportunities. They are also the perfect chance to improve brand awareness, offer market research opportunities, and conduct competitor analysis.

Because of their long list of advantages, we make sure to have a jam-packed calendar of exhibitions and travel across the world to showcase what we do and connect with those in the industry. So let’s take a look at what we have planned for the year and where you can visit us.

The Security Event – 25^th-27^th April

The Security Event is an annual trade show and conference dedicated to the security industry. It features exhibitors from various security industry sectors, including access control, fire safety, CCTV, cybersecurity, perimeter protection, and more.

We’re thrilled to attend this important event and can’t wait to speak to industry experts and customers alike. So visit us at The Security Event this week at the NEC in Birmingham; you can find us at stand 4/J42.

Get more information: https://www.thesecurityevent.co.uk/

National Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference and Exhibition – 23^rd-24^th May

The National Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference and Exhibition is an annual event held in Ireland that brings together manufacturing and supply chain professionals to discuss and showcase the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in the field. The exciting event features a wide range of industry experts and keynote speakers offering unique perspectives.

The National Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference and Exhibition is a great opportunity for professionals in the manufacturing and supply chain industries to connect, collaborate, and gain insights into the latest innovations and trends in their field.

Get more information and register your interest: https://www.manufacturingevent.com/

Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) – 6^th-8^th June

The Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) is an annual event focused on the latest developments and innovations in aircraft interior design, technology, and equipment, so as spring manufacturers for the defence and aerospace industry, we’re always excited to get involved. The expo, held in Germany, brings together suppliers, manufacturers, designers, and industry professionals from around the world to showcase their products and services across a wide range of topics.

Get more information and register your interest: https://www.aircraftinteriorsexpo.com/

Subcon – 7^th-8^th June

Subcon is an annual UK-based manufacturing and engineering trade show that brings together professionals and companies involved in the manufacturing supply chain. The event showcases the latest innovations, technologies, and services in many of the industry sectors we supply our springs are pressings for, such as aerospace, automotive, defence, energy, medical, and rail.

Get more information and register your interest: https://www.subconshow.co.uk/

Machine Building.Live – 4^th October

Machine Building.Live is an exceptional opportunity to connect with the largest gathering of machine-building experts ever assembled in the UK. This one-day event features a unique format designed to maximise your access to information in a minimal time.

We’re thrilled to be attending this fascinating exhibition and showcasing our exceptional products that go into producing an endless list of machines.

Get more information and register your interest: https://machinebuilding.live/

Engineering Design Show – 11^th-12^th October

Established in 2012, the Engineering Design Show is an annual event connecting engineering professionals showcasing their latest engineering design, manufacturing, and electronics innovations. The show is aimed at engineers, designers, and decision-makers involved in designing and developing new products, systems, and technologies, making European Springs and our spring design experts an ideal fit.

Get more information and register your interest: https://www.engineeringdesignshow.co.uk/

UK Manufacturing & Supply Chain Glasgow – 25^th October

The UK Manufacturing & Supply Chain Glasgow is designed to provide a platform for businesses to showcase their products, services, and technologies, as well as network with other professionals and stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends. Featuring a range of exhibitors from different manufacturing industry sectors, visitors can expect to see demonstrations of new technologies, equipment, and processes, as well as attend seminars and workshops on topics such as automation, sustainability, and digitalisation.

Get more information and register your interest: https://www.manufacturingexposcotland.com/

Advanced Engineering – 1^st-2^nd November

The 14^th edition of Advanced Engineering will feature several interactive zones, including a startup zone, a connected manufacturing zone, and a composite engineering hub. These areas showcase the latest innovations and provide attendees hands-on experience with new technologies. Here at European Springs, we’re always looking for new ideas and fresh solutions, and this event is all about looking to the future and embracing important change.

Get more information and register your interest: https://www.advancedengineeringuk.com/

Tips for Visiting European Springs at an Exhibition

If any (or all) of these events have piqued your interest and you’d like to visit us at one of the exhibitions, we’d like to offer some of our top tips. After decades of attending these events, we’ve become quite the experts!

• Plan ahead. Before attending the exhibition, research the exhibitors, the products they offer, and the topics that will be covered. This will help you identify the most relevant booths and presentations to attend and make the most of your time at the exhibition.
• Wear comfortable shoes. Exhibitions are usually quite large, and you may need to walk around for several hours, so wearing comfortable shoes can make a big difference in your experience.
• Take notes. Whether you’re attending on behalf of your business or as a customer, bring a notebook and pen or use your smartphone to take notes about the products, technologies, and ideas that interest you. This will help you remember what you learned and make it easier to follow up on opportunities after the exhibition.
• Engage with exhibitors. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and engage with the exhibitors. We are there to showcase our products and services and are always more than happy to answer questions and offer our expertise.

For more information and a full calendar of our upcoming events, please visit our Exhibitions page. And as always, feel free to get in touch, and a member of our team will be more than happy to help.

The whole manufacturing industry has embraced reaching net zero and becoming more sustainable. This is no small feat, as the industry is responsible for an estimated 20% of UK emissions.

European Springs is committed to supporting a more sustainable and ecological industry, developing strategies to ensure future generations have a greener future. We’ve collected some ways the spring manufacturing industry can help companies reach their net-zero goals.

1. Sustainable Materials

One of the most critical ways spring manufacturers can help other companies reach their net zero goals is using sustainable materials. Sustainable materials, such as recycled steel and other metals, reduce the energy consumption required to make a product by up to 40%. Options such as these help minimise a company’s carbon footprint and are much more environmentally friendly. It will also reduce the need for mining, depleting an already limited source of metals and destroying the habitats of animals and wildlife.

Another example of a sustainable manufacturing process is the closed-looped industry. It is an optimised process that minimises the negative environmental impacts and conserves energy and natural resources. It also enhances employee, community and product safety.

2. Energy-Efficient Processes

Energy efficiency is the name of the game when it comes to reaching net-zero goals. Due to the increasing knowledge of the industry’s environmental impact, the focus has shifted to creating more energy-efficient processes. The benefits of energy-efficient processes include lowering greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants and decreasing water usage.

Additionally, manufacturers are intensive energy users that can gain significant savings by decarbonisation. Switching to low-carbon technologies, such as solar panels and biomass systems, supports both the net zero strategy but can also support the financial optimisation of a business. Renewable energy, such as solar or wind power, can help eliminate additional toxins and gases expelled into the environment. Toxins like these can harm vegetation and life, causing health implications and adding to the greenhouse gases. By reducing your facility’s output, you can assist in maintaining a healthier environment for future generations and create more energy-efficient processes.

3. Lifecycle Analysis

In the manufacturing industry, a product’s lifecycle needs to be analysed. A life cycle analysis measures the environmental impact of a product or service throughout its life cycle, from the resources used to create the product or service across its use by the user to its end-of-life destination. Analysing a product’s life cycle helps us compare products, materials, and methods used, providing helpful information to make decisions that could help the environment. It is a standardised method to assess environmental impacts quantitatively.

The lifecycle assessment can be used for different products by different people. But it is all about the environmental impact and performance. What can you discover by using the lifecycle analysis?

• Design. What changes can you make to the product to lessen its environmental impact?
• Purchasing. Which product has the most negligible ecological implications?
• Marketing. Is this product ‘greener’ than a competitor?
• Benchmarking. How’s our company doing next to all the others in our industry?
• Tracking. How’s our environmental performance this year compared to last year?
• Policy. What initiatives will help improve overall ecological outcomes?

4. Innovative Technology Which Reduces Waste

Reducing the amount of waste a product produces is an innovative way to help the environment. As a UK spring manufacturer, we know that one of the most successful ways that improvements can be made in your company includes the waste hierarchy in your work process. While not a piece of technology, the waste hierarchy can be used as a stepping stone for your company to manage the waste it produces effectively. These steps are:

• Prevention. Preventing materials from becoming waste means preventing any problems pre-emptively.
• Reuse or recycle. Reusing applies to refurbishing and repairing objects to extend their life. Recycling waste materials focuses on ensuring that any materials designated for waste are recycled for new uses.
• Recovery. Recovery is the process of incinerating waste materials to regain some of the lost energy used in the collection. Often, these materials are burned to produce electricity and, in turn, reduce the number of fossil fuels burnt.
• Disposal. The lowest step in the hierarchy and arguably the worst option environmentally. This choice means that all of the waste produced from manufacturing will end up in a landfill site.

Additionally, many manufacturers invest in innovative technology, such as air source heat pumps, for their building heating and cooling needs. These new alternatives to conventional systems are significantly more environmentally friendly. By choosing these alternatives, manufacturers can open more possibilities for using green electricity tariffs, which many energy suppliers offer.

5. Collaboration With Sustainable Companies and Initiatives

The future of the manufacturing industry is green. As the UK’s 2050 deadline for net zero approaches, it is essential that companies and eco-initiatives can collaborate and are committed to sustainable strategies. In many ways, we can only reach this net zero goal by working together to achieve it.

The net zero strategy’s overall essence is to balance the carbon emissions produced and the carbon removed from the atmosphere. This balance makes it net zero. It will benefit the environment, society, economy, and your business individually. By promoting a collaborative environment, you are driving and enabling sustainable practices.

Some examples of current and ongoing ecological initiatives that you could use:

• Using circular manufacturing to save energy and reduce waste
• Implement safety measures by utilising automation tools
• Digitise internal communication

European Springs is a leading manufacturer of custom springs in the UK. We are constantly working to improve our high-quality spring manufacturing process so that they continue to have a minimal environmental impact. Contact us to discuss our working methods or any bespoke spring designs you need for your next application.

A supply chain within manufacturing is an essential element for sourcing raw materials for final products. In order to create a final product which is both reliable and profitable, the entire supply chain must be consistent and strong. This process may include various services from many areas of expertise, so when choosing which suppliers you work with, you must ensure you make the best choice for your business. As spring suppliers, we explore the various elements of a strong supply chain and the issues faced without one.

What Makes a Strong Supply Chain?

A strong supply chain is a system of companies and businesses that deliver goods to customers consistently, with excellent communication and promptly. There are some key elements which make a supply chain strong and successful:

Transparency. A strong supply chain is transparent to all involved. This means there is a clear path and visibility of goods from raw materials to finished products. Transparency is vital for shareholders, business plans and operations for all the businesses involved to make informed decisions about changes to their companies, which may have a knock-on effect on others in the chain.

Reliability. Delays at the start of a supply chain significantly impact the entire system, which could prevent others in the chain from meeting their own deadlines. So having reliable trust in the businesses to supply their goods on time and in the required condition is crucial for a strong supply chain.

Flexibility. Having companies in a supply chain is vital for the success of each of the businesses involved. Adapting to changes quickly allows companies to grow to the demands of a varying market and respond rapidly to unexpected events.

Communication. The most vital element of a strong supply chain is communication. Being able to successfully communicate with each of the stakeholders in the supply change allows them to share industry knowledge, expectations and demands which could affect the production rates of companies in the chain and enables them to grow and develop products to meet the needs of the chain.

Efficiency. A strong supply chain provides efficiency throughout, which minimises waste, keeps manufacturing costs down, and allows each stakeholder to provide competitive products and services, increasing profit margins and allowing a company to grow with further investment up the chain.

The Advantages of Having a Strong Supply Chain

A company or product is only ever as good as the suppliers, so ensuring a strong supply chain is vital for the success of any final product and service your business offers. A strong supply chain will offer consistency of high-quality raw materials. If a supplier is inconsistent with its raw materials, this will create a weak link in the supply chain which will cause issues in the final installation. For example, as experienced bespoke spring manufacturers, we work closely with our supply chain to ensure that our product sees the exact quality required whilst meeting the needs of our customers. We make recommendations based on our years of expertise to guarantee the materials used will perform as expected for long periods. To do this, we also require high-quality raw materials consistently to provide reliable services.

Quick turnaround on products is essential to meet supply and demand needs. Having a supply chain which is timely in their delivery also puts a company at an advantage over competitors. If a supplier cannot provide products or services promptly, it can cause significant delays in the outcome. For instance, if a supplier is delayed by a day, it will also postpone the next chain in the link by a day, and eventually, the service which is further along in the supply chain could be delayed by a more significant time as the rest of the chain has to delay their work to accommodate the original supplier. This can impact the supply chain’s finances, reliability and ability to provide the excellent reputation they have spent time building. So ensuring you have a strong supply chain ensures your business has the opportunity to remain reliable and consistent, allowing for expansion and success.

Strong Management Within a Supply Chain

Supply chain management is the coordination of the processes and operation involved in the production and delivery of products. Each chain link requires strong management to be a successful element within the supply chain. Managing the logistic within a manufacturer can be challenging, but each individual responsible must be able to problem-solve efficiently to meet demands. In addition, efficient management will pre-empt events which will affect the delivery of goods.

For example, during the pandemic of 2020, there was a significant impact worldwide on the manufacturing supply chains as factories closed to protect the health of their staff. This caused a ripple effect on the manufacturing industry, which is still catching up in 2023. Although events like these are unforeseen, being able to adapt and manage the demand for products quickly was something many supply chains had to develop. This includes assessing the risks and adjusting staff on rotation to ensure that output remains as close to expected consistency as possible. Companies that can manage their logistics and processes to adapt to events like these are examples of strong links in a good supply chain.

Managing Good Relationships in a Supply Chain

Relationships within a business are essential to the success of a supply chain. It allows for good communication and collaboration to help each stakeholder in the chain work to the best of their capabilities efficiently. Good relationships help to promote trust and open communication, which can lead to better collaboration, more effective problem-solving, and improved coordination between all parties involved. In addition, it can help to minimise risk amongst the supply chain and prevent unforeseen events, which can then be managed and adapted to prevent letting other links in the chain down with delays.

Communication and regular collaboration within the supply chain allows it to be resilient and maintain all the elements which make it stronger. Furthermore, it increases the efficiency of the processes and logistics and can even be a component of a business expanding into unknown territories. For example, suppose a company wishes to enter a new market with its products. Having a good relationship with the supplier may allow cooperation between the two businesses for them to share the knowledge they may already have in the area due to other customers.

For instance, as compression spring manufacturers, we know that our products can be used in various applications and being aware of the intended application makes us able to produce high-quality products. Suppose our customer wishes to trial these compression springs in an unfamiliar area. We can provide them with expertise from our experience with other customers. This relationship allows both companies to grow and demonstrates the importance of having a transparent and strong supply chain.

What to Look For in a Supplier to Create a Strong Supply Chain

Overall, the main elements to build on and seek out from a supplier are excellent communication, high-quality materials or services, good management and reliability. These can usually be found through a company’s testimonials, reviews and even by asking around within the industry through networking and recommendations. So, before choosing your new supplier, it is always essential to make the time to do your own research to ensure that adding them to your supply chain will only strengthen it instead of weakening it.

For any information on our products or how we can help you strengthen your supply chain as tension spring manufacturers, feel free to contact us. We have various products to suit different requirements and many years of expertise in producing high-quality springs.