An event has helped establish a crucial link between potential future manufacturing businesses and Sellafield Ltd’s critical requirements for nuclear clean-up.
Organised by West Cumbria’s Industrial Solutions Hub (iSH), the Manufactured Products Industry Day, held at Rheged near Penrith, attracted more than 200 representatives from firms across Cumbria and the UK.
The event aimed to drive collaboration between Sellafield’s Manufactured Products Organisation and manufacturing suppliers with the right skills to respond to Sellafield’s essential requirements for a range of manufactured products going forward.
The event also saw iSH launch a new manufacturing cluster to bring together businesses of all sizes – based both locally and nationally – to work together, drive innovation and develop better solutions for the benefit of West Cumbria and the nuclear decommissioning sector.
Gary McKeating, managing director of iSH, said: “The event sold out quickly and was a success, this shows the ambition of firms in this sector to bring forward their skills and capabilities to become part of Sellafield’s drive for continuous improvement and collaboration.
“Events like this are crucial in making connections and building valuable working relationships with manufacturers. We want to create an engaged and capable supply chain for the future and I’m very pleased with the outcome.
“We are also pleased to announce the launch of a manufacturing cluster which will create solutions through collaborative working which can then be promoted, through iSH, internationally and to other sectors.
“Cumbria has precision manufacturing companies which are extremely experienced in developing technology which can be used in challenging environments. Collaboration through a cluster approach will enable and encourage engagement towards quality, innovation and continuously improving industrial solutions.”
The Industry Day offered an insight into Sellafield’s product requirements, upcoming tenders and proposed routes to market, as well as guidance on the skills and capabilities needed to meet the standards required.
There was also industry networking to promote supply chain collaboration, Q&A sessions and the chance to book a private meeting with buyers and product specialists from Sellafield.
Overall, the day provided a place for companies to meet with a view to potentially collaborating in the future to bid for forthcoming procurements. Collaboration between suppliers will contribute to a stronger, more resilient supply chain capable of supporting the complex needs of Sellafield’s nuclear waste management mission.
Delegates attending the event fed back that they had learned much more than they knew before about Sellafield Ltd’s manufacturing needs.
Some said it was the best manufacturing event they had attended in recent times, particularly valuing the facilitated networking that ensured they made contacts they would not otherwise have met.
West Cumbria-based iSH said it would help ensure that these businesses have the right resources and training to meet the needs of MPO effectively.
Gareth Frazer, head of manufactured products organisation, said the day had been about creating long-term, sustainable partnerships.
He said: “This event outlines a new approach by Sellafield to develop the supply chain for manufactured products required to support one of the UK’s most critical environmental missions.
“We want businesses to see the value in working with us and want feedback from existing or new suppliers on what we can do to improve to ensure successful and collaborative relationships going forwards.”
