West Yorkshire Manufacturing Services (WYMS) gets off to a flier and the recent appointments of Mark Lewis, CEO and Beth Ward, Head of Marketing & Communications, are putting the organisation, located just off junction 25 of the M62 in Brighouse, firmly back on the map.
West Yorkshire Manufacturing Services was born following the demise of Kirkdale Industrial Training Services (KITS) in 2019 and having lain dormant as a result of the pandemic for almost 2 years, is beginning to make its mark providing an extensive range of business support services to serve the regions engineering and manufacturing sectors.
Having initially taken on an interim role Mark, who has for the last 20 years run his own Organisational Development consultancy, joined WYMS as the CEO in September and is working with the Board and partners throughout the region, to implement an exciting new strategy to Support Manufacturing Excellence.
Mark said of the challenge; “I’ve been aware of the organisation and even used the facilities myself on numerous occasions. The business has over recent years been like a sleeping giant, and it is a pleasure to be playing a part in awakening it and bringing in new life. We are fortunate to have within our region a high proportion of engineering and manufacturing businesses and I’m looking forward to working with partners from across the region to ensure our manufacturing and engineering businesses are put at the heart of the economy and given all the support that they need to prosper”.
Beth has been brought in as Head of Marketing & Communications having previously done a similar role at Dean Clough in Halifax and Jane Tomlinson’s Run for All. Beth is extremely pleased to be working back in her hometown and is looking forward to meeting with many new and familiar faces. She said that “It is wonderful to have this fantastic facility back open. Feedback from many of the local businesses who I’ve been in contact with have said how great it is to know that the facility is open again and are keen to take advantage of the training courses, apprenticeships and the conference and meeting rooms”.
West Yorkshire Manufacturing Services (WYMS) is bolstering the service provision previously provided (first aid, health & safety, conference and meeting room facilities and apprenticeships –delivered in partnership with Calderdale College) with new initiatives to meet the evolving demands of the sector. “Our new initiatives include; Carbon Literacy training, advanced manufacturing short courses for up-skilling and re-skilling, and the development of an Industry 4.0 Hub will not only improve the apprenticeship provision, but enable SMEs throughout the region to explore, engage and embrace the techniques, technologies, and training to be future ready” explained Mark.
The team are really keen to ensure that the strategy and service provision meets the needs of engineering and manufacturing organisations across the region, so are encouraging businesses and individuals to have their say by completing a brief questionnaire, which can be found on the WYMS website here or by giving the team a call.
