Over the last six weeks, two students who are studying the MPhil in Industrial Systems Manufacture and Management at Cambridge University Engineering Department, have been working with a team at CPL to increase the company’s management information capability using real-time data monitoring of production performance.

Working remotely and meeting via Zoom with the team, Kyle Chen and Alvaro Martin undertook research and explored the current use of technology in the Production Hub, in order to identify potential areas for improvement.

The final report has just been presented to senior staff at CPL and is proving an incredibly useful document.

Opportunities, costs and a draft implementation plan have all been outlined, and whilst there is still work to be done to agree the exact route forward from here, there is no doubt that many recommendations will be applied and CPL will work with this information to streamline some aspects of production.

In this short time frame Alvaro and Kyle submitted:

• Recommendations for a real-time machine recording system using tablets in the Production Hub
• Recommended an interface to pull the data from the standalone systems to enable further interrogation
• Produced an expenditure/investment plan for the new solution, and
• Developed an implementation plan.

“It is always useful to have an external perspective, when seeking organisational development and we were extremely impressed by the professionalism and scientific research approach adopted.  To reach the conclusion that they have, working remotely and disadvantaged by Covid restrictions, is a great outcome. We will be implementing some of the recommendations and undertaking further exploratory work in areas where a little adaptation is required.

This is the second project we have undertaken with students working with the Institute for Manufacturing and we look forward to future collaborations, which provide valuable learning opportunities for all involved.” Richard Hobbs, CPL Chairman