Nestlé UK has today launched “Productivity in Practice” a series of insights which show links between productivity gains, new technology and sustained improvements by the Company’s people at all levels.
With the Government’s renewed focus on the challenge of raising the UK’s overall productivity, the findings reflect important perspectives and case studies from Nestlé on increasing productivity, which can be widely applied across industry.
The food and drink sector is a great unsung success story in the UK. The industry makes up the largest portion of the manufacturing sector in the UK.
It accounts for almost 16 per cent of total manufacturing turnover and it employs around 400,000 people across the UK.
The food and drink industry is one of the few sectors to increase its productivity since the financial crisis and this has been achieved by people embracing new working practices and the high expectations for quality and the importance of continuous skills development.
Dame Fiona Kendrick, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé UK & Ireland said:
“I am delighted to share these insights from our experiences on boosting productivity. As President of the UK’s largest manufacturing sector and member of the Productivity Leadership Group, I am particularly passionate about this agenda.
"I believe that this a policy challenge where our practical experience as the world’s biggest food company makes us uniquely qualified to contribute.
“Productivity is multi-faceted and affects every part of the business but when it comes to raising productivity, investment in new technology and the skills of our people go hand in hand. We recognise that in order for our business to consistently prosper, we succeed by empowering our people to identify improvements and drive efficiency.
"Nestlé’s people have seen expectations and demands rise, but they know they are in a global race and I am proud of how they have risen to the challenges.”
“To keep up the momentum across the UK, the Government and wider food supply chain must work together to become more productive and to rival our competitors on a global stage. This will only happen if we invest more in new technology, in the capability of our managers and in the skills of our people.”
Welcoming Nestlé’s Productivity in Practice, Elizabeth Truss MP, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said:
“Food and drink is a powerhouse of our economy and the country’s biggest manufacturing sector, greater than cars and aerospace combined.
"We produce more new food products each year than France and Germany combined and it is only right we champion new technology, skills and improvements in the sector to make British food as productive as possible.
" I welcome Nestlé’s insights into how we can further boost productivity in the sector so our food and drink can rival even more countries across the world.”
ENDS
For more information please call the Nestlé UK press office on 0208 667 6005 or email [email protected]
Notes to Editors:
2. In the last five years, the food and drink sector has increased productivity by 11% compared with 0.6% for the economy as a whole http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/datasets-and-tables/data-selector.html?cdid=DJL3&dataset=prdy&table-id=4
3. Dame Fiona Kendrick is a member of the Productivity Leadership Group, chaired by Sir Charlie Mayfield. In her capacity as President of the Food and Drink Federation, Dame Fiona sponsors a project as part of that group looking at how skills investment and talent pipeline development in the food and drink sector can contribute to solving the UK’s productivity problem.