Both headquartered in Ballymena, concrete specialists, Moore Concrete and soft drinks manufacturer Norbev, joined other leading NI manufacturing companies, with their front-line managers completing a major programme run by the Centre for Competitiveness (CforC) and the William J. Clinton Leadership Institute at Queen’s University Belfast.
The Advanced Manufacturing Leadership Programme aims to boost productivity in Northern Ireland’s Manufacturing sectorand is designed to support the Department for the Economy’s ambitious 10X Economy Strategy.
The Ballymena based manufacturers, Moore Concrete and Norbev were part of the second cohort of team members from companies to undertakethe programme, which launched last year. They were accompanied by staff members from companies including Brett Martin, Spirit AeroSystems, Norbev, Cooneen Textiles and the Specialist Group.
Founded in 1978, Moore Concrete Products Ltd specialises in providing the building sector with quality precast products. Ithas expanded its capabilities over the years into the building and infrastructure sectors to become leaders of the precast industry in the UK.
Norbev Limited, founded in 1919, engages in contract manufacturing for the world’s leading brand owners and retailers, such as Suntory and Aldi. Norbev can provide a range of carbonated and still soft drinks, high juice cordials, andisotonic drinks, in various pack sizes and formats.
The programme is sponsored by the DfE with support from the QUB Bright Minds initiative.
Over a five-month period, the students learnt how to improve their personal management capabilities; lead their team with confidence; and implement practical tools and techniques for effective manufacturing operations.
Front line management personnel from Operations, Engineering, and Quality, leave the course more knowledgeable of the current/future trends in Manufacturing, the importance of digitalization and data analytics to drive efficiencies, and the principles of Net Zero that will govern modern supply chain processes.
William Ussher, Senior Executive - Manufacturing Systems at the Centre for Competitiveness, said:
“We are thrilled to see the continuing success of this programme and it is fantastic to be able to offer this training to even more NI manufacturing companies. We believe this is just the beginning for this programme.
"Our aim is to equip frontline managers across NI’s manufacturing sector with a range of skills to lead in a manufacturing environment and prepare them to be the drivers of cost and value in their field and we were delighted to welcome Moore Concrete and Norbev to the programme.
"Congratulations to all those who completed the programme.”
For further information on the programme and to register for the next cohort, visit: