Member Article

Yorkshire Festive Focus: Lisa Buck, YCF

In this instalment of the festive focus, we speak to Lisa Buck, operations manager of YCF, the not-for-profit membership organisation for the manufacturing and process industries.

Your business

What were the three biggest highlights for your business in 2016?

The completion of the Process Manufacturing Centre (PMC) at Kirklees College in Huddersfield. YCF was a founding partner of the training centre, so along with some of our members and the college itself, we formulated a plan to revolutionise the way that engineering apprentices are trained. The PMC is now open and teaching the engineers of the future, on modern equipment that’s complete with ‘real life’ scenarios and health and safety considerations.

Working on the Horizon 2020 funded project, which aims to secure Europe’s global competitiveness. We helped to formulate a Joint Action Plan (JAP) and a Strategic European Research and Innovation Agenda (SERIA) for the Smart CO2 Transformation scheme (SCOT). We champion the idea of using CO2 as a resource rather than treating it as waste, so we focused on improving the UK and European government awareness and the performance of emerging green technologies.

We held the first YCF people awards dinner to celebrate the successes of individuals within our industries. Over 160 manufacturing professionals attended the event, where nine people were acknowledged for their exceptional efforts in driving industry and the growth of their companies.

What are your business’ goals going into 2017?

We’re aiming to address the UK’s technical skills shortage, by providing a ‘match-making’ service to companies that are passionate about future-proofing UK industries. We’ll achieve this by making sure that we encourage young people into industrial roles, through partnering with projects that inspire children into realising that engineering can be an exciting and rewarding career path. We’re currently spearheading the establishment of a ‘personal care cluster’ in the north of England. The group will bring together the people, companies, university academics and business development leaders of the personal care and cosmetic industries, to foster innovation, create connections, and provide business support.

We’ll continue to develop our networking groups, events and training, whilst growing our membership levels.

Anything you/your business would have done differently over the past year?

We wish we’d have employed our public relations firm, Scriba PR, earlier! It’s important that we raise the profile of our organisation so that more businesses can benefit from the services we provide.

Your region

Why do you think Yorkshire is a great place to do business?

Our region has a wealth of manufacturing history, with lots of large companies that have been around for hundreds of years, so it’s exciting so see those businesses connect with fresh, new SMEs! I think Yorkshire people have a lot of ambition, so are always looking to improve their organisation, and it’s great that we are well suited to support them!

Any other company/companies in the region stand out for you?

It would be difficult for us to single out one company – we have around 70 members and thousands of associates, that are all doing exceptionally well. It’s impressive to see that many of them are expanding and opening new product lines, and planning for further growth in 2017.

What does Yorkshire want to see happen in the future/next year?

Investment in Yorkshire’s roads over the next few years will prove key to improved productivity levels. Heavy traffic and delays mean that goods may not get delivered on time, potentially damaging supplier-client relationships and having a detrimental impact on a business’ bottom line.

Yourself

What individual goals did you achieve personally/professionally in 2016?

My passion is photography, so I challenged myself to get an accreditation from the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain, which I achieved in November. I am now CPAGB qualified!

How do you unwind after a stressful day at work?

I have five-year old twins, so I don’t have much time to wind down! But, once they are in bed, I enjoy an evening of editing photographs or a night in front of the TV with a glass or two of prosecco – and chocolate!

What would be the perfect Christmas gift for you?

Probably a new lens for my camera. The next on my wish list is a 200-500mm telephoto to start shooting wildlife – not literally, of course!

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Katie Mallinson .