COLLABORATION and innovation in challenging market conditions were listed among the key outputs from this year’s BCMPA conference, held recently at the Oxford Belfry.
Delegates from the contract manufacturing, packing, fulfilment and logistics industry heard from a range of speakers addressing the economic outlook, technology, packaging legislative reforms, and employee engagement.
Highlights included a presentation on the state of the economy by Professor Trevor Williams, former chief economist for Lloyds Bank, who outlined the challenges facing businesses due to the conflict in the Middle East. He urged firms to embrace digitalisation, which he argued does not reduce jobs but increases wealth and income.
This was echoed by Professor Mike Wilson, chief automation officer at MTC, who advised that robotic automation in manufacturing can help provide staff with the tools they need to do their jobs efficiently. Delegates were also warned by Victoria Speight, founder of Cyberfit, that businesses needed to have robust procedures to combat cyber attacks.
“While our conference highlighted the many challenges that lie ahead, what is clear is that our members have the solutions and innovative thinking to help,” said Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA. “The more dialogue we have in our industry, then the stronger we become and I’d like to thank all our speakers, sponsors and attendees for coming together to be part of the industry conversation and provide practical ideas to enable our sector to grow.”
The conference also heard from Esther Carter, chief strategy officer at Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme administrator PackUK, and Louisa Goodfellow, policy manager at Ecosurety. Jude Allan, MD at OPRL, highlighted the importance of on-pack labelling to help consumers understand where to dispose of packaging waste.
The afternoon sessions provided practical solutions for delegates in dealing with their own operations. Stefan Casey, commercial & innovation director at Celeritas Solutions, outlined why co-packers are so important to the supply chain with the ability to remove risk for brand owners. Jamie Tinsley, CEO at Touchstone, detailed his approach to empowering organisations to transform, engage and thrive, while James Coull, business manager at Wallace Hind, and Vicki Fitzpatrick, founder of The Wellbeing Focus, looked at best practice on retaining and inspiring talent.
Technology was the focus for two other sessions: a panel discussion led by Josephine Coombe, chief commercial officer at Nulogy; and Wayne Kedward, MD at Autopack, who addressed how businesses should go about selecting machinery and what pitfalls need to be avoided. On energy, Paul Gregory, group commercial director at HSEnergy Group, explained how to invest in renewables at a volatile time in the market.
Emma Verkaik added, “It was encouraging to see so many engaged delegates listening to our highly knowledgeable line-up of speakers. One of the roles of the BCMPA is to flag these important subjects to members, allowing them to be part of the dialogue that is shaping the future of the contract manufacturing, packing & fulfilment industry. We are stronger together and I can see that the members are embracing the positives and the learnings that can be found from industry collaboration.”
