News

Euro-funded project makes North East firms more agile

(22 January 2003)

Government's regional office has highlighted the valuable support role for business of the Agility Project, in the School of Engineering.

A trouble-shooting consultancy based in the University of Durham is helping more than 200 North East firms to work smarter, not harder.

The Agility Group, funded by £349,000 from the European Regional Development Fund, specialises in helping businesses which need a fresh perspective on how to improve their profitability.

Its advisors, who are all recruited from industry, will go into a company and help the management and workforce to adopt best practice "agile" manufacturing to meet the changing demands of domestic and export markets.

The consultancy, which is based at Durham University's School of Engineering, is underpinned by academic research led by Professor Paul Maropoulos, including work on Digital Enterprise Technology.

The Agility Group consists of three strands - process and factory improvement, business strategy and logistics and digital enterprise technology - each with two or more dedicated engineers.

In partnership with the European Regional Development Fund, the Agility Group is able to run fixed-duration projects in small companies at reduced rates.

Tess Mantzoros, Regional Regeneration Officer at Durham University's Research and Economic Development Support Service said: " Our advisors are taking the research and the know-how and applying it in practical terms. A Managing Director will ask 'What is going to turn my company around?' and we will make suggestions."

"This is a unique project which grew out of a highly successful pilot project in 1999. The tangible results of this not only showed substantial improvements in business competitiveness and increased business turnover, but also allowed for the safeguarding and creating of new jobs."

The Agility Group has been involved with finding business solutions to a variety of problems in North East firms. Its list of satisfied clients includes Newcastle-based diesel engine specialist Royston Engineering, which managed to increase its production by seven times, following advice from the consultancy on how to change production line methods.

Washington Direct Mail was looking for alternative ways of working which would allow production to keep pace with their customers' demands. All production staff at the print and mailing company were trained in production theory and how to reduce waste. The result was an increase in efficiency of 33%.

Tricogen Laboratories Ltd, which manufactures a range of hair care products from its factory in Newton Aycliffe, Co Durham, wanted to know how to boost the output for an export drive. Agile's advisor introduced the company to software which allowed it to plan changes to its operations through simulation models. This showed that output could be quadrupled through small changes in shift patterns. Agility is registered with the Centre of Experts in Manufacturing and forms part of the DTI's Manufacturing Support Export.

David Slater, Director of Competitiveness and Europe at Government Office North East said: "Agility is proving to be remarkably effective not only in helping North East manufacturers to improve competitiveness and increase business turnover, but also in allowing for the safeguarding and creation of jobs."

For further information on the Agility Group
Tel: 0191 374 2588, e-mail: agility.group@durham.ac.uk or visit the website: www.durham.ac.uk/agility Notes to Editors


1. The European Programmes Secretariat work as part of Government Office for the North East to help administer European Structural Funds on behalf of the European Commission.

2. The Objective 2 Programme is the primary source of European assistance to the North East region. It will provide more than £430m of grant support from the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund over the next six years towards a programme of projects with a total value of over £1.1 billion.

3. The Single Programming Document sets out the strategy for the funds and focuses on four key areas, known as "Priorities". These are:
* Priority 1: aims to create jobs through an increase in the region's SME (small and medium size enterprises) stock - promoting new business start-ups and the survival of existing SMEs - providing support to companies over three years old.
* Priority 2: aims to create jobs through improvement in the competitiveness of existing SMEs - providing support to companies over three years old.
* Priority 3: aims to create strategic employment opportunities through investment in a limited number of key development areas in the region.
* Priority 4: aims to encourage the economic development of targeted communities by enhancing the employability of local residents and their access to work.

4. The Programme aims to create over 30,000 new jobs; assist over 27,000 regional businesses (existing and new) and help more than 66,000 people, both unemployed and employed, to receive training. The programme is delivered through a range of regional, sub-regional and local "partnerships", which are made up of organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors.

5. To find out more about the Objective 2 Programme look at its pages on the website at www.go-ne.gov.uk or alternatively contact the European Programmes Secretariat, Government Office for the North East, Wellbar House, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4TD.

Issued on behalf of the Government Office for the North East by GNN North East.
For more information please contact Val Johnson on TEL: 0191 202 3694; FAX: 0191 261 8571; EMAIL:val.johnson@gnn.gsi.gov.uk