RISING TO THE INNOVATION CHALLENGE

The biggest Innovation Challenge to date took place on 20th and 21st June with 72 teams from across manufacturing showcasing their themed innovation ideas to support our future. Teams across all of our manufacturing functions including the UK, Brazil, China and Nitra showcased their innovations, which has led to a potential cost saving for the business of over £30m.

The event is designed for Innovators to showcase their bright ideas whilst sharing best practice which teams can then take back to their plants and functions to implement.

Grant McPherson, Executive Director, Manufacturing opened the event. He said: “A huge thank you to the 72 teams who shared their innovations to improve quality, efficiency and make manufacturing fitter, stronger and leaner for our future. The sheer energy of everyone involved shows the appetite for a challenge and the belief to drive change for our future.”

A group of apprentices were set the task of officially opening the event, and in true innovation Challenge style, they wowed the audience with the a little help from a Body In White robot.

Colleagues then had the opportunity to visit over 100 displays, showcasing innovations from across Manufacturing and suppliers whilst getting the chance to attend technical lectures. In a first for manufacturing, technology forums - Tooling Pressed Parts Group, Body In White, Paint and Trim & Final presented back their activities to the manufacturing leadership team in to how they are breaking down silos and sharing common challenges.

You can look back on the biggest Innovation Challenge yet in this photo gallery

All the innovations were amazing and though it was a tough job, the following teams were picked out for their brilliant ideas, a massive congratulations to:

• Naithan Brown, Ian Hulme and Matthew Scott from Halewood’s, L46 Air Knives team who won the 2019 Presidents Award
• Tony Hammond and Kim Wassell from Solihull’s, Paint Overhead Conveyor Inspection Camera’s team
• Rich Lal, Kevin Berry, James Kenny, Neil Gough, Marius Cojocaru and Sean Meehan from Solihull’s, New Glue Nozzle Design team
• Joshua Dunning, Kleber Bonitese, Dan Guyton and Aaron Stanton from EMC’s, Call Automation for Parts team
• Dean Lapham, Richard Grist and Steve Marson from EMC’s Energy Drive – Coolant Removal Peristaltic Pumps team
• Shuo Xu from China’s AGV Inhouse Making team.

Ian Hoban, Powertrain Engineering Director who attended the event said: “It’s been a disruptive and challenging year for our business in which we are doing more with less and going forwards, we need to be faster and more efficient. We have a long history of innovation and we can be among the best in the world with self belief and the ability to go and innovate. The Jaguar I-PACE is testament to that as no-one else has won three World Car of the Year Awards in which the I-PACE won World Car of the Year, World Design Car of the Year and World Green Car of the Year. It’s not just about product innovation but how we do this. The best innovations are when we work as a team.”

Thank you to everyone who has showcased their amazing ideas and for making it the biggest and best Innovation Challenge to date. 

Gallery