lincolnshire voices - Darren Joint

I believe science, technology, engineering and manufacturing are forces for good in the world, for the local economy and for my children's future. They create real added value, high-quality skilled jobs and the means to solve, indeed even thrive through, the impending climate crisis we all know is coming.

Through my work at Viking Signs we contribute to this by employing and advocating for a 'manufacturing on demand' model where only what is needed is made, in a very short time scale, in the local market where it is required. In this way we significantly reduce waste - of raw materials, energy to produce, CO2 emissions to transport from afar and storage of excess stock. We 'only' make safety signs - but how we make so many, so quickly, so 'leanly' is the part which I hope might inspire others to think differently about their own processes. There are more than 100,000 standard parts, infinite customisations, thousands of signs and labels every day, more often than not the same day they're ordered.

I also volunteer my time to serve on several non-exec boards which support the manufacturing sector and promote its sustainable growth. Firstly as Chair of the LEP Manufacturing Board and secondly as a member of the MakeUK regional board. Both roles allow me to share my experiences of this digital 'manufacturing on demand' model with my peers and with a wider audience - like you, with the hope of increasing its adoption and helping other manufacturers shift to a more sustainable 'Industry 4.0' model.

I've been instrumental (as a founding member) in the creation, growth and success of both the Nottinghamshire Manufacturing Network and more recently the Greater Lincolnshire Manufacturing Network. These peer-to-peer networks allow manufacturing businesses of all sizes to come together and learn from one another, while also gaining access to the academic facilities, research and resources of the two partner universities (Nottingham and Lincoln), and I encourage anyone in this sector to join this initiative.

During the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting crisis the flexibility, adaptability and, we can hope, importance of UK manufacturing has been brought back to the attention of the general public in a way not seen since the Second World War. Shortages in supply of PPE from the Far East, the need for rapid innovation, industrialisation and local production of ventilators, even food supply shortages, have served as reminders that without local manufacturing and some understanding and mastery over where things come from, we are not in control of things which quickly come to matter a great deal.

On a much smaller scale even at Viking Signs we've experienced this: with our 'product engine' tools we were able to quickly respond (adding 20,000 new products in three weeks) to the shift in demand for social distancing signage. Having no stock of 'normal' now unwanted safety signs and huge, flexible capacity to make what was needed allowed us to cope with a more than threefold temporary increase in demand for these new products (from a normal average of 25,000 signs per month to over 80,000 in May 2020). This meant we could help many essential businesses across the country to stay open safely and keep our business operational, for which my whole team and I are extremely grateful.

For me this experience has reinforced the need for and the opportunities from a sustainable fourth industrial revolution about which I'm very optimistic, proud to play a small part in and grateful to be able to advocate for.

Watch my short video here.

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