FDBusiness.com

Leading vacuum pump manufacturer Busch (UK) Limited has been ‘doing its bit’ to promote careers in manufacturing and engineering by working with students from the West Midlands and North West on the ‘Busch Make It Engineering Challenge’.

The event was a collaboration between Busch (UK) Limited and The Manufacturing Institute as part of a series of themed challenges delivered by the Institute’s ‘Make It’ campaign, which aims to promote manufacturing as an exciting and rewarding career option for young people.

On the day 13 and 14 year-old boys and girls from 12 schools in Shropshire, Staffordshire  and South Cheshire were tasked with all aspects of the day-to-day running of a ‘factory’.  This included designing an efficient layout, ‘flowing’ their products through a range of industry processes – including vacuum packaging and labelling – and shipping out products for delivery to their customer.

Teams were given a choice of parts and components to enable them to create their factories and pooled their skills to complete their factory on time and on budget – taking on job roles from managing director to operations managers – through to finance, sales and marketing managers. They then developed a brand for their company and pitched their fully costed ideas in a Dragons’ Den-style presentation to a panel of industry experts from Busch (UK) Limited.

The Malbank School from Nantwich, Cheshire, claimed the coveted winner’s trophy on the day, impressing the Dragons with their aim to improve the image of ready-meals by ensuring they were produced to high standards, with strict hygiene guidelines and using only the freshest produce.

Meanwhile, the runner-up team from Thomas Telford School in Telford impressed the judges with their factory design, which used Busch’s vacuum pump technology to extract dust and waste out of the production process.

Ian Graves, managing director of Busch (UK) Limited, said: “As a company we are dedicated to encouraging young people to consider a career in manufacturing and engineering, including operating our own apprentice scheme, which is why we were so pleased to support the Make It campaign.

“The current economic climate is proving to be particularly challenging for young people who may be seeking their first job and planning their careers.  Initiatives such as this that are designed to inform and inspire the next generation of engineers are massively important if we are to start filling the skills gap we currently have in the UK.

“A career in manufacturing is extremely rewarding and we hope that our involvement with the Make It campaign will go some way to inspiring young men and women into taking up engineering as a career.”

Stephen Melia, Make It programme coordinator, said: “Manufacturing is important to everyone. Whether it’s an iPod, mobile phone or the latest pair of trainers, there are a huge number of job roles involved in making these products, from research and development to design, production and marketing. Through hands-on, practical challenges, the Make It campaign aims to demonstrate to young people the many exciting career opportunities that exist within the sector.”

Busch is the global market leader for vacuum and low pressure pumps for a wide range of applications, including food and packaging, and offers a comprehensive product portfolio. As a pioneer in vacuum packaging, this year (2013) Busch is marking its 50 year anniversary by celebrating half a century of continuous quality, innovation and service to become the premier supplier of vacuum and over pressure equipment.