H T Brigham, gets people talking!

By HT Brigham
schedule6th Feb 12

H T Brigham is a great advocate of social media. Barely a day goes by when the world is not told of the pressworker’s latest news. Whether it be via Twitter, Linked-in or the company’s own website, the Coleshill based manufacturer always has something to say.

In the beginning, the firm employed these techniques to reach existing and potential customers, helping to reinforce existing relationships and forge new ones across the globe. This then quickly developed into exchanges with competitors, the sharing of information and the referral of unsuitable enquiries. Potential new supplier networks also began to develop and frequent contact with trade organisations, like Made in theMidlands, constantly sparked discussion on the latest hot industry topics. An undercurrent of optimism regardingUKmanufacturing started to develop among this growing virtual community, which differed somewhat from the media portrayal of a struggling industry. Unexpectedly, H T Brigham also started to form direct connections with Government officials, industry leaders and key decision makers, allowing them to instantly voice opinions and raise issues in a way which had never been possible before.

As a result of recent Twitter activity, H T Brigham’s Technical Sales Manager, Andrew Essom, identified an opportunity to bring Midlands manufacturers together with politicians and industry decision makers, in order to have a frank discussion regardingUK, and particularlyMidlands, manufacturing issues. Joining Andrew in attendance were several representatives from Tipton based seating manufacturer, CAB Auto, Made in the Midlands campaign Commercial Director, Charles Addison (representing the campaign’s 250 strong member base), Dudley North MP, Ian Austin and MP for West Bromwich West, Adrian Bailey. Ian Austin is extremely interested in the issues effecting region’s manufacturing and Adrian Bailey is chair of the Business Select Committee in the Commons.

H T Brigham was keen to discuss the issues of the growing skills and investment gaps, which have impacted the manufacturing sector in recent years. Andrew Essom wanted to get across that, with a little bit of help now, manufacturers can stand on their own two feet and secure their future growth. He asked, ‘Is the investment there to get us to the next level?’, to which Ian Austin replied that funding is available, although the closing of Advantage West Midlands had had an impact. It was acknowledged that although funding via MAS-WM is available, the decision making process is often slow and funds are often allocated to training programmes rather than investment in plant and machinery. CAB Auto recently found itself in the position of needing some quick funding in order to secure some valuable takeover work, but as MD, John Faulkner said, ‘banks here aren’t interested in automotive…’, and, ‘…the mechanisms within the public sector aren’t fast enough’. Ian Austin agreed that despite efforts, ‘it’s never going to be possible through bureaucracy of any Government to turn around in a week, a decision to fund a project… I’ve met firms in my constituents having to turn down profitable work through not being able to raise capital to invest in order to carry through a job’. Andrew Essom raised the point that, ‘if we had had this support and nurturing, we wouldn’t be an industry in such a reactionary phase.’

He went on to say that when companies like H T Brigham do win work, ‘we are then subject to the skills gap at home and the need to invest in staff’. Ian Austin admitted that the Government had had a part to play. He said, ‘over the last decade we’ve wrongfully assumed that the financial services would be the way forward and for many years, manufacturing has been neglected.’ It was agreed that the manufacturing sector has suffered a major image crisis in recent years, making it difficult to recruit young blood. Inroads appear to be being made to combat this however, with Adrian Bailey stating that, ‘The attitude and perception of the dirtiness and insecurity of industry is passed through families and is well set in the region – their attitudes are 20 years behind the times. The companies left have the ability to survive and grow. University Technical Colleges (UTC’s) stay away from the old attitudes of career advisors and teachers against industry. It’s not an overnight fix but it’s a start.’

Ian Austin added, ‘UTCs are getting kids 14-16 to be thinking about manufacturing. There is to be around 70 built nationally – to get kids thinking about technical careers in industry – a partnership between school and college, a University and a blue-chip. Walsall UTC is partnered with Siemens – its fantastic what this is opening up’.

So, the wheels are turning. As recently as last week Ian Austin raised the question of what recent steps have been taken to support theWest Midlandsmanufacturing

to the Minister of State (Business andEnterprise) in Parliament. It is unlikely that H T Brigham would have known this without the power of social media, indeed it is doubtful that a company representative would have had the opportunity to have such an open discussion with key figures who could voice their concerns in parliament without social media. Some companies like H T Brigham may be slightly dubious about the use of social media in the manufacturing sector, but it really can work as a communications platform, which is not limited by geography or accessibility and the benefits are plain to see.