chain and how the continued emergence
of supermarket convenience outlets is
shaping the market. Also confirmed for the
2015 exhibition; Keith Thornhill, Business
Manager for Food & Beverage at Siemens
will present the case for technology and
data analytics for the digital factory of
the future; Peter Evans, Compliance
Engineer at the CE Marking Association
will help visitors understand the CE mark;
Rhys Herbert, Senior Economist at Lloyds
Banking Group will explore what’s in store
for the manufacturing sector including its
ambitions, opportunities and challenges.
Also appearing at the show, Mike Crosby,
Finance Director for Burts Potato Chips will
examine how sales targets and profitability
have soared thanks to continued factory
investment and new technology. Speaking
about his appearance at the show, Mike
commented: “At Burts Chips we strive to
produce quality snacks for our customers
that always deliver on taste and crunch.
We recognise that continued investment in
new technology and the factory is essential
to continue the path of growth and enable
us to innovate the competitive snacks
sector.”
Manufacturing skills gap under the
spotlight
The topic of the current manufacturing
skills gap will be addressed in more detail
at this year’s seminar theatre following
the launch of the PPMA BEST initiative, a
new charitable trust aimed at recruiting
more young people in the industry. The
new division will highlight and promote
the benefits of apprenticeships throughout
the industry, highlighting how the skills
shortage can be resolved through
improved engagement between the
industry and the UK’s academia.
Addressing the ingredients for success
and highlight the opportunities for an
engineering future in food and drink, Sam
Kelly, Electrical Engineering Apprentice
for PepsiCo and Hannah Whall, Graduate
Project Engineer for Nestle will provide an
up-to-date insight into the opportunity in
engineering in the largest industry in the
UK. Representing two of the routes open
to young people, including apprenticeships
and graduate schemes, Sam and Hannah
will share their personal stories as their
build a career in the UK’s food and drink
manufacturing industries.
Speaking about the industry, Sam Kelly,
said: “The FMCG environment is a diverse
industry and there are a wide variety
of exciting prospects. It is this variety
across the industry that is attractive
with businesses working in a number
of different fields which means that
everyday your skills are being tested in
a new way. It is a challenging but also
a rewarding industry, as young people
and graduates can expect a good level of
responsibility from the off and personally,
it is this responsibility that has been a
huge confidence builder for me. I have
developed not only as an engineer but also
as a person.”
Technology on stand B01 will also reveal
a range of sustainable metal detectors for
food manufacturers and packers which
guarantees an exceptional return on
investment (ROI).
Highlighting the obstacles stopping
young people from recognising these
opportunities, Hannah Whall added:
“There is a lack of awareness of the
manufacturing and packaging industries
in schools currently and young people
are either unaware or uninformed of the
opportunities it presents. More should
be done to let young people realise the
opportunities available to them. Ensuring
that young people have a full picture of the
opportunities on offer is crucial and should
start with teachers talking to pupils.”
Also exhibiting at the NEC, Peeblesbased Evolution Bottling & Packaging will
demonstrate Logics & Controls’ pioneering
LOGILOOK inspection machine which can
fully inspect label quality using a single
camera, regardless of the way the bottle
is facing. The technology eliminates the
common problem of merging multiple
ima