A former board member of the Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA) has joined a sector specific procurement company to help kickstart a new programme aimed at enabling a rapid bounce back of the UK manufacturing sector.

In his new role as Client Services Director, Mike Beirns will spearhead Alliance Procurement Solutions’ APS Spend Analytics programme and associated services, an initiative which helps manufacturing organisations harness Big Data to improve cost margins without expensive, on cost or pernicious fees.  The service, which delves deep into a company’s cost and balance sheet to create effective recovery plans, aims to prevent against redundancies, kickstarting the UK manufacturing economy post-lockdown.

Beirns is in an ideal position to lead the roll-out of the programme, with a strong reputation across UK manufacturing earned from previous roles including managing director of Kinetic Engineering, Sales and Business Development Manager at Teer Coatings and Business Development Supporter for the Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA). Throughout his 20+ year manufacturing career, Beirns has developed significant skills around change management, helping to re-energise sales and operational teams to deliver profit and loss success.

Beirns’ appointment at Alliance Procurement Solutions and the rollout of the APS Spend Analytics Programme comes at a critical time for UK manufacturing. The latest monthly snapshot from the HIS Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply showed that factory output declined at a slower pace during June as it did throughout May when many of Europe’s nationwide lockdowns were in full swing. However, the sector still has a long way to go if it is to avoid further redundancies, plant closures and production slowdowns. According to Beirns, understanding and reducing unnecessary costs within the supply chain can help save manufacturers crucial funds throughout the next few months of recovery, enabling an effective bounce back and keeping production floors busy.

Beirns commented: “Having worked in the manufacturing industry for many years, often leading change management programmes, the opportunity to work Alliance Procurement Solutions was one not to be missed.

“APS Spend Analytics overview is a significant game-changing method for margin improvement. Today, businesses will grapple with falling orders and whilst trying to protect gross margins, often resulting in shorter working, or redundancies. APS leads the way in proposing an alternative scenario specifically for manufacturing companies which includes mapped recovery plans. As you might expect, I’m very excited to be part of this data-driven disruptive opportunity, especially in this challenging time within manufacturing.”

Mark Wood, managing director at Alliance Procurement Solutions, added: “This is a hugely exciting and significant appointment for us as we continue to implement our exciting growth plans.  Not only does Mike bring a huge amount of experience that will support our growth, his knowledge of manufacturing operations will be a great asset to our customer delivery journey.  What I am immensely proud of, is that Mike not only holds the same values as me and the business, but he is excited by, and buys into, the exceptional value Alliance Procurement Solutions brings to the manufacturing supply chain.  His addition to our already high calibre team, is the next step in our exciting journey.”