Bakery manufacturer White’s Bakery has received investment from UK government initiative Made Smarter, and the South Yorkshire Skills Bank.
The manufacturer, which is based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, produces cookies for schools, retailers, wholesalers and the hospitality sector. The company was impacted by closures of schools and businesses as well as pandemic lockdowns, which led to the recommendation of Enterprising Barnsley that they apply for Made Smarter, which has released UK£1.5 million in funding for manufacturers based in Yorkshire.
Made Smarter says the initiative for Yorkshire is aimed at driving growth across manufacturing in this area and helping them with boosting productivity. This is done by providing advice on how to make a switch to more digital ways of operating and automated technologies.
White’s Bakery took advantage of leadership, management coaching and digital roadmapping through Made Smarter which has since helped the next generation of the White family members in incorporating technologies.
The company has said it has plans to relocate to larger premises and incorporate digital technologies to improve its productivity and reduce overall operating costs.
“Following the lockdown, we decided to embark on the Made Smarter programme to enable us to gear back up and put a plan in place for future growth,” explained David White, Managing Director of White’s Bakery. “The coaching programme has given us the tools to become a leaner, more productive business and the Skills Bank training we have had in the use of digital and greener technologies will help to make us a stronger business for the future.”
Mike Brook, from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, said the manufacturer had “embraced change and is now in a great position to experience transformational growth where the focus is on added value, increased margins and profitability. They are transitioning from being a traditional family business into a more agile and profitable operation, with very exciting prospects.”
“White’s Bakery is a great example of a business which has been able to take advantage of expertise in digital adoption, as well as leadership and management coaching to equip managerial staff with the skills they need for the future. Digitalisation is essential to help SMEs in the advanced manufacturing and engineering sector to become more efficient and productive to enable them to compete in the long term on a global basis,” concluded Andrew Armstrong, Programme Manager for Made Smarter.
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