Members gathered at the South West Institute of Technology (SWIoT) for a formal meeting, exciting updatesand more…
Chairman, Tim Puttick opened proceedings with a review of 2021 for the purposes of the record, explaining that the organisation had come to a near standstill due to the decision not to invoice members at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. The ensuing lockdowns had prevented normal operation to take place, whilst many of the committee found themselves absorbed by the challenges of their roles, with little capacity for anything else.
The 2021 report covered a brief financial statement, which remained healthy despite the lack of activity, and strong website statistics due to the continuation of weekly newsletters and communications. There had been no events to speak of due to the effects of the pandemic.
Focus soon shifted to the events and progress of 2022
In March 2022 (when this AGM would normally have taken place) the committee set about rebuilding the organisation, with renewed energy and plans to modernise for future resilience. The biggest challenge was to reconnect with a completely lapsed membership. Tim was pleased to report that there are now 30 full members, with more to follow soon.
The priority event for the year was the 2022 North Devon Manufacturing Awards, which was successfully delivered on 15th September.
Two upcoming events were highlighted:
- Make UK Member Update breakfast meeting at Venn Valley Vineyard on 6th December
- Best practice site visit to TDK Ilfracombe on 19th December
The formal meeting concluded with the election of officers and committee for the coming year, and commitment to return to a March AGM in 2023.
This was followed by brief talks by;
- Paul Mullen, Vice Chair, reporting on excellent progress with renewed schools engagement
- Ellie Denno from Young Enterprise with some inspiring information about the work YE does with students and industry
- Chris Verney from Barum Solar Heat Tech talking about product longevity and reuse
A buffet supplied by Petroc College created networking opportunities for attendees, followed by a lean simulation from Phil Halse of SWMAS
A team of 10 participated in an exciting challenge to streamline the production of torches, striving to eliminate wasted time and movements and raise quality. It was an enjoyable opportunity to examine some typical manufacturing challenges and learnings.
