On 9th May 2024, Made in the Midlands will be holding a Factory Tour and networking event in Ruddington, Nottingham hosted by Tony Baldassarra - Manager at Greene Tweed. Global manufacturer of high performance thermoplastics, Greene Tweed, has been supplying custom engineered sealing solutions to a variety of sectors for more than 150 years.
Dedicated to operational excellence, Greene Tweed are shining examples of continuous innovation in manufacturing. In the past couple of years, the company has invested heavily into automation with the integration of cobots, MIR component transporters and a new Mould Shop - an investment worth a whopping £2.8M. With manufacturing plants in the USA, UK/Europe and Taiwan, what’s most interesting about the company’s automation journey in the UK is their dedication to upskilling staff to align with the latest technology.
(Greene Tweed UK factory floor in Ruddington, Nottingham)
Steven Buckley, Senior Production Technician at Greene Tweed said: “The pay back from learning about automation and implementing it into our everyday processes has seen endless benefit. There seems to be a preconception that automation, particularly robots and Cobots, are taking people's jobs. That’s not the case here, we have to interact with technology and therefore technology is teaching us the skills of the future whilst improving overall productivity.”
Based in Ruddington, Nottingham, the company is perfectly placed to represent industry excellence being at the heart of previous Military of Defence (MoD) manufacturing. The quaint town based on the southern edge Nottingham has an important military past from manufacturing and testing to the Ruddington Ordnance & Supply Depot - commissioned in 1940 as a filling and storage facility.
Built by the UK Military of Defence, Ruddington Ordnance was decommissioned in 1945 becoming a storage area for ex-military vehicles. Now located in Rushcliffe Country Park, the site is home to the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre - “best known as the northern terminus for the great central railway (Nottingham). Once home to part of the Great Central Main Rail Line from Sheffield to London, it has excellent links that highlights Greene Tweed’s superb export success from their UK site.
As the company continues to innovate and expand its global footprint, it will be opening its doors on Thursday 9th May 2024 to members of Made in the Midlands and Made in Yorkshire to showcase its commendable factory and share its finest best practices. Tony, host of the Greene Tweed event, said: “Automation is navigating the company towards improving efficiency, driving down costs and tackling recruitment challenges. For us, our people are the most important part of the business." Visitors can also expect to see their employee focused initiatives that nurture people both personally and professionally.
Join us on Thursday 9th May at 9 am in Ruddington for the Greene Tweed Factory Tour. Register Here.
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