The isle of manufacturing

 
For an island in the middle of the Irish Sea with a population of 85,000 the Isle of Man punches well above its weight on a number of levels. Its 600 miles of roads and rugged, but varied terrain means the Isle of Man boasts some of the best cyclists on the planet. Multi-stage winner of the Tour de France and ex-World Champion, Mark Cavendish is Manx, as is 2012 Olympic gold medallist Peter Kennaugh. However, the Isle of Man is increasingly being associated with the manufacture of high quality products that are sold to blue chip clients around the world. Arguably the finest watches in the world are made in the Isle of Man by Roger W Smith, with 10 Downing Street taking delivery of its ‘Great Britain' commission watch masterpiece in 2014 to celebrate the best of British manufacturing and innovation. Yet it is the success of the Isle of Man Aerospace Cluster (IOMAC) that has been grabbing the headlines in the Isle of Man in recent years. The strengthening reputation of the Island as an international business centre with a diverse and growing economy - growth forecast at 3-4% this year - can be partly put down to the strength of this 22 member cluster. IOMAC companies are involved in the design and manufacture of engineered components and assemblies for virtually every major civil and military project in the world. Latest figures from the 22 firms show that they employ a total of 881 engineers and support staff, which is nearly 6% up on 2012 and 38% more than in 2006 when IOMAC was created. The news of the increased jobs highlighted why manufacturing is one of the key sectors within the Government's Vision2020 strategy for the Island's continued economic growth. Government has shown its commitment to the sector by providing nearly £1 million in this year's Budget to the Island's Department of Education and Children (DEC) to develop a training centre into a dedicated engineering training centre of excellence. This funding will enable DEC to double the intake for the Foundation Apprenticeship in Engineering from September 2014. The Foundation course has been developed in conjunction with local IOMAC firms so that participants will be trained in alignment with their specific needs. <A small fortune> The small size of the Isle of Man has its advantages and has not detracted from the success of the Cluster. The ability to work with other companies on the Island and form strategic alliances is easier as each firm has a good understanding of each other's capability and strategic aims and the usual perceptions of competition for work or skills are quickly dispelled. As a strategic partner of the North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA), IOMAC enjoys access to one of the most dynamic and important aerospace clusters in Europe. Although the Island's Cluster contains some significant companies, such as RLC Group, RLC Ronaldsway, GE Aviation, Swagelok and Assystem, the access to NWAA has proved to be highly beneficial for the smaller firms in the Cluster. Perhaps most significant is the implementation of the Rolls-Royce Journey to Process Excellence programme which is now embedded in the internal systems of all the members, enabling them to measure their own capability against a world class model and plan for continuous improvement. Other achievements have included joint purchasing agreements for members' firms and the development of a highly successful skills and awareness of careers in engineering programme for the Island's school population known as the ACE Project. The Cluster has also tendered for design and manufactured packages of work with global aerospace primes resulting in the sector on the Island growing significantly. Its order books look strong and it has a programme of investment, training and continuous improvement planned. The Cluster is projecting to double its turnover in the next five years and is already involved with Airbus, BAE Systems, Boeing, NASA and Rolls-Royce to help deliver projects such as the Mars Curiosity Rover, A380, A350, B787 and A400M and F-35 Lightning II. In recent years the Cluster's firms, supported financially by the Isle of Man Government, have invested in lean cellular manufacture as well as flexible manufacturing systems and research and development capability. This has complemented their existing capabilities in aerospace design, jig and fixture manufacture, project management and ‘stranger and alien' packages. With excellent order books and a clear path ahead to secure appropriate skills, the Isle of Man Aerospace Cluster will continue to ensure that aerospace manufacturing remains at the heart of the Island's economic vision. The Isle of Man Aerospace Cluster will be exhibiting at Farnborough Airshow as part of the NWAA stand in hall 1, pods 12 and 13. Adrian Moore, Chair will be there to highlight the Isle of Man's dynamic and competitive environment for inward investment. www.aerospace.co.im