The North East of England Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) is a stand-alone company, limited by guarantee, which was created and is owned by its member companies to represent the companies and supply chain of the Process Industry in the region. Through a high level of engagement with its member companies and the credibility and support NEPIC receives from both public and private sector stakeholders, it has become a unified voice for the Process Industry in the North East England, where a substantial part of the UKs chemical, petrochemical, speciality chemical, pharmaceutical, polymer, biotechnology industries are based. NEPIC that represents 500 Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Speciality, Polymer & Rubber, Petrochemical & Commodity Chemical companies based in North East England. Furthermore, there are at least an equal number of companies in the supply chain of these industries based in this region making this a major economic Cluster. The combined economic power of NEPIC companies and their importance to North East England cannot be over emphasised. They generate in excess of £10bn of sales and is 30% of the regions industrial base, employing about 40,000 people directly and impacting indirectly on the income of a further 200,000. NEPIC companies have significant presence in all sub regions of North East England - Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Durham and Teesside. NEPIC member companies are currently working on 58 live projects, investing a further £8bn into the region by 2015. This expansion, together with the current demographics within the sector requires the industry to attract in excess of 10,000 new employees into the sector. Through NEPIC, the regions process industry companies are working to promote the attractiveness of this sector as a career opportunity and develop new routes to obtain a career in this well paid sector. NEPIC also promotes the capability of the region and its industry and acts as a knowledgeable partner to help companies the sector and its supply chain with their new investments. The cluster gives the best advice on how to gain public sector funding for investment and R&D projects. It also has built up the trust amongst its members to be the channel to engage in benchmarking and best practice advice on many operational issues. Efficiency improvement programmes operated by the cluster has helped the region secure jobs and delivered 60 million pounds of bottom line benefits to members. Over the past twelve months membership of NEPIC has grown considerably, we now have over 560 member companies, making by far and away the strongest most influential body this regions process sector has ever seen. £3.5 million has been invested into the NEPIC core grant since 2005 by Regional Development Agency One North East, resulting in the generation of £512 billion of gross value added (GVA) for the region and leveraged £13 million of activity by NEPIC and industry, which has quadrupled NEPIC’s capabilities. The reason NEPIC is so successful can be easily summed up by a quote from the European Union Cluster Publication which stated that: “Clusters are groups of inter-related industries that drive wealth creation in a region. Often they represent the entire value chain of a broadly defined industry from suppliers to end products, and are interconnected by the flow of goods and services throughout this chain”. This is a true reflection of NEPIC as we strive to ensure that the regions manufacturing and supply chain companies work together to increase their profitability through sharing best practice, overcoming common obstacles and threats, and in doing so adding to the regional economy. NEPIC, which is lead by senior industrialists, has a reputation for delivery of projects that enhance the sustainability of the Process Industry Sector. These projects are identified, developed and delivered through a series of Thrust Teams set up by the industry. These include: In all of these areas significant results have been achieved through the cluster providing a conduit for the industry to collaborate, identify issues and work together to address them. Perhaps the most significant impact of the cluster will be seen via the continued support the Cluster receives from its members and regional and national government agencies. Who recognise that through NEPIC they have been able to generate an internationally recognised cluster noted for its excellence in engagement, communication and level of support it delivers to its members.
