Skills shortages and staff retention are currently top challenges for most UK businesses and especially for manufacturers. A 2024 MAKEUK paper quotes that there are currently 69,000 live vacancies in UK manufacturing. The after-effects of Brexit and the pandemic along with an ageing workforce has resulted in many critical vacant roles taking months to fill.…
Occupational Safety professionals in industries like construction, manufacturing, oil & gas, and mining use the term “Life Saving Rules” to outline the measures people should take to protect their safety at work. The rules are non-negotiable and typically focus on high-risk activities or situations where a single mistake could have severe or fatal consequences. Because…
Key Points at a Glance Growth in UK Manufacturing: Poised for a resurgence with technological and policy-driven advancements. Catalyst’s Role: Leveraging deep industry experience to drive innovation and operational excellence. 2024 Training Programs: Focused on practical applications for manufacturing sector challenges. Commitment to Improvement: Empowering change and continuous improvement in UK manufacturing. Introduction As we…
Introduction: The collaboration between the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) and Catalyst Consulting is a fine example of collaborative partnership. Our combined effort, the “One IWA Programme,” sought to address the intricate challenges faced by the IWA community, aiming to bring about tangible, lasting change. This initiative has earned a nomination for the Learning in Excellence…
Elavon Europe wins top award for Overall Business Agility at the prestigious Agile Business Awards 2023 Elavon is a leading global payments company with more than 4,300 employees and operations in 10 countries. They provide businesses with the technology to accept payments from customers, whether they are shopping in stores, at home or on the…
In Brief: Matt Sims is a content creator and Lean Master with over 15 years of experience in Continuous Improvement. He hosts a podcast called “The Ever-So-Lean Podcast” that aims to inspire business owners and program managers to embrace Continuous Improvement. In his presentation, Matt shares his journey from being a postman to a distribution…
The brief version: ChatGPT is an innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool that can help businesses in many ways, and this video focuses on problem solving and process improvement. The Catalyst team demonstrate how you can use ChatGPT as an ’additional team member’ to help identify and solve process issues, generate insights, and enhance customer satisfaction.…
It’s over! In this week’s finale we saw Harpreet get hired as Lord Sugar’s business partner, after a head-to-head between her dessert business ‘Oh So Yum’ and Kathryn’s online pyjama shop ‘Pyjamily’. The two finalists were tasked with developing a brand and ‘hero product’ for their businesses, along with a digital billboard and a TV…
In the penultimate episode of the series we saw the final four candidates go head to head with Lord Sugar’s “most trusted advisors” for one-to-one interviews. These featured a deep dive into each of the business plans and CVs, with many an omission, overestimation, white lie and out-and-out lie pointed out. Claude Littner was back,…
Week ten (ten!) saw the candidates tasked with creating a healthy new baby food, with branded packaging and a unique recipe, to pitch to two major retailers. The teams were mixed up, with Aaron heading up team Diverse and Harpreet leading Infinity. Harpreet reprieved her Gordon Ramsay role by knocking up a tasty salmon and…
