SFIL Hosts NDI SC21 Cluster Visit
7th August 2014
Representatives from the aerospace, defence, security and space industries visited Sheffield Forgemasters on a fact finding mission.
Around 30 members of the NDI Supply Chain 21st Century (SC21) cluster, the UK National Supply Chain Improvement Programme for companies in these sectors, toured the Brightside Lane site. They learned how the manufacturing giant has used Lean and SC21 principals to make measurable progress towards operating an integrated and collaborative supply chain both internally across functions and with supply chain partners to achieve improve business performance and efficiency. David Hood, SC21 accredited improvement specialist from the cluster, said: "Sheffield Forgemasters is always willing to share with others its best practice through visits, presentations and discussions around operational excellence. "The cluster works because it allows its members to improve through sharing best practice. This can only happen when there is a culture of open and honest communication coupled with high levels of business and personal integrity. "Sheffield Forgemasters has been, and is, a key partner in developing this culture helping shape the future of one of the UK's critical industries." Sheffield Forgemasters has been a key supplier to the UK's defence industry for more than 25 years, working closely with partners at Rolls Royce and BAE Systems as a manufacturer of complex cast and forged steel components, and operating as an integral supply chain member. The NDI SC21 Cluster was designed to accelerate the performance of the sector through developing excellence in all organisations involved. Members collaborate with the aim of increasing productivity and fostering innovation through the deployment of SC21. Nathan Jordan, Continuous Improvement facilitator at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: "SFIL hosted this keynote event by popular demand. The vast majority of feedback given at the end of the session was that the cluster meeting at SFIL was one of the most interesting and informative clusters they had attended."
