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LISI\u2019s Smart Factory project, led by Taahir and his team, has been successful in creating higher value jobs and career paths within the company, shifting the focus from traditional engineering and introducing new roles around software development and data analysis into the factory. Taahir was awarded the MX Young Manufacturer of the Year in 2023 before helping LISI establish its first Smart Factory line. \u201cThe Smart Factory vision started in 2019 when we scoped out the new production line,\u201d Taahir adds. \u201cIt\u2019s about using technology to make things faster and more effective. We were successful in receiving \u00a3975,000 worth of funding from Innovate UK to do the research and development of this project, for this, we partnered with the University of Sheffield AMRC. We developed machines with advanced sensors capable of generating thousands of data points to allow analysis and AI development. We have just recently completed the first phase of machine learning, enabling us to detect when a tool is failing; all thanks to our machine learning (ML) apprentice. This is an amazing achievement for us, considering that we started off with a team of two back in 2019, now we have a team of ten with four apprentices in the team following a dedicated development plan to support future growth of the site.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n With plans for more lines to be split across its sites in California, USA and France, the company\u2019s strategy for growth includes its LISI Excellence Achievement Program which centers around continuous improvement processes. The program was an integral part of supporting the business through Covid, while also preparing for the future. \u201cWe were always planning to recover from the pandemic and continue growing,\u201d explains Mark. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have a lot of financial support throughout that process, due to the challenges being faced by the industry, although LISI Group strongly backed the idea. It was a bit of a leap of faith, after which we began receiving small amounts of funding to invest in our equipment. We then made the decision in 2021 to divert a large part of our CapEx budget into the Smart Factory machine. Having that strategy process to ensure that everybody in the team could contribute helped us get through 2021 and 2022. Our real breakthrough was in 2023, when we were beginning to deliver the results both organizationally and with the manufacturing process. LISI Group then started to increase the amount of funding we got into LISI Rugby and by 2024 we were investing over \u00a33 million on equipment per year. We were able to convince the headquarters of the strategic importance of this project, so they started to invest their money into the idea and we\u2019re quite proud of the fact that by 2023 our project featured in the LISI Group annual report to investors as one of the key strategic projects. Then in 2025 we started discussing the lines in California. Both Taahir and I have been supporting that on a technical but also a cultural level, as both aspects are equally as important.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Apprenticeships are an integral part of the culture at LISI, usually starting at Level 3 and being funded up to Level 6 and degree level. It offers various roles, including software development, data analysis and machine learning, allowing apprentices to gain valuable skills and knowledge before beginning a job with the company. \u201cI started in the business straight after an apprenticeship at a competitor site in 2017,\u201d shares Taahir. Mark added \u201cAt that time, the site wasn\u2019t particularly renowned for apprenticeships – we only had one or two manufacturing apprentices but that all changed in 2020, with Taahir as a senior process development engineer. He built that team up and took on more apprentices, so we became much stronger in that area. It\u2019s an exciting and interesting opportunity. It is common for us to welcome the children of employees for an apprenticeship and later a job within our company. It actually supports our CSR policy of the 3P, supporting the PEOPLE part. \u201c<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nGrowth Strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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