The alliance of SSCs, called the Manufacturing Skills Alliance (MSA), is made up of:

• Cogent, the SSC for the Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, Oil and Gas, Nuclear, Petroleum and Polymer Industries
• Improve, the SSC for the Food and Drink Manufacturing Industry
• Proskills, the SSC for the Building Products, Coatings, Extractives, Furniture, Glass, Paper and Printing Manufacturing and Processing Industries
• Semta, the SSC for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies

A recent PAC/B-IT pilot programme in the West Midlands has anticipated a total increase in profitability of more than £1.3million. The pilot saw 14 companies go through the PAC programme with companies involved seeing an average of £93,000 increase in profitability.  One company involved, HydroBolt, a manufacturer and supplier of bespoke fasteners from Wolverhampton, saw a continuous improvement and a £9,000 increase in output.

Through measurements of quality, cost and delivery, on site PAC analysts work to assess the performance of manufacturing and engineering companies and facilitate increased productivity and bottom line benefit through seven key measures. In order that skills and knowledge acquired are sustainable, selected staff subsequently undertake Business Improvement Techniques (B-IT) NVQ qualifications.

Joanna Woolf Chief Executive of Cogent a member of the Manufacturing Skills Alliance said:

“We are delighted that the pilot has been such a tremendous success. PAC enables employers to really increase and sustain productivity and competitiveness. According to recent Semta research, skills shortages are estimated to cost £700 million per year in lost productivity in England alone which highlights that programmes like PAC and B-IT are essential in enabling UK companies to compete globally; the benefits of PAC are clear and quantifiable and can have a huge impact on the bottom line of small to medium sized businesses.”