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Project Manager based in Manchester UK

Grim up North……………………………..#oneNorth

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M625 Northern cities have put forward a joint proposal to improve transport infrastructure in the North. Dignatries from Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester & Liverpool met the chancellor George Osborne who gave a very favourable response to the plan.

The plan which some are dubbing ‘HS3’ involves increasing road capacity, building a 125mph cross pennine rail link & improving local rail networks.

Extending the current Metro-link in Greater Manchester & including Liverpool Airport & City Centre will reduce road traffic on the dreaded M62 & reinforce links between these 2 great cities.

This is what ‘The North’ has been crying out for for the last 30 years.!

If it is done correctly by focusing on rail & metro links & by reducing road traffic rather than simply encouraging more cars onto already congested roads it will transform the North into a place where companies want to move & invest.

As someone who lives in Manchester but travels all over the country the gulf between North & South is gobsmacking. With  the South vastly overpopulated & house buying out of the question for the young it is absolutely vital to invest in the North & build a prosperous & diversified economy.

It is essential to maintain the pressure on George Osborne to put his money where his mouth is.

chris@amberhill.biz

www.amberhill.biz

AMBERHILL-LOGO-THUMB

 

Capitalism is dead ? #innovation

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maker-labA recent article in New Scientist described how underfunded Libraries in the US, which have been particularly badly hit since the Great Recession are starting to set aside space for small workshops called ‘Maker Labs’
These spaces contain 3D printers & other tools & equipment enabling budding entrepreneurs to design & build their own innovative products.

I’m not sure if a similar trend is apparent in the UK but it is certainly true the recession has spawned a large increase in self employment & this is not just peoples desperation but rather a desire for independence & self determination.

Capitalism may not be dying but it feels like we’re entering an exciting new phase of individual entrepreneurship & small collective innovation – who knows where it will lead?
Chris@amberhill.biz
www.amberhill.biz

AMBERHILL-LOGO-THUMB

Mad Scientists construct Human Brain….

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3Dbrain‘Mad Scientists construct human brain’ – you can see the tabloid headlines now. Scientists based in Switzerland are working on the ‘Human Brain Project’ the purpose over the next 10 years is to develop & construct a working model of the human brain. The specialists involved, Computer Scientists, Psychologists, Neuroscientists, telecommunications experts & a host of others will collaborate in an effort to develop a fully functioning brain & to garner an understanding of how it works at a fundamental level.

 
The project is being funded by the E.U & what is intriguing is the funds come from the Future & Emerging Technologies budget.
 
In a previous post I discussed Ron Kurzweils ideas about the development of machine brains whos intelligence would surpass that of the human leading to an event he labels ‘the singularity’ beyond which human development will accelerate beyond our comprehension. The HBP would appear to bring the possibility of this happening ever closer. 
 
Consider the success of other European projects – to map the Human DNA sequence & the discovery of the Higgs Boson at the Large Hadron Collider, tasks which would have seemed impossible & incredible a few short years ago.
 
It is often difficult to appreciate the rapid pace of scientific & technological change unless one deliberately pauses & looks back to see how far we’ve come. 
 

#Engineering is boring

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auto-innovationEngineering is boring right ? All that clanking with spanners & hammers & getting covered in grease.
This is a common view of people who haven’t got the first clue what engineering is or what it involves.
In the automotive industry there are thousands of engineers working on all kinds of projects & products. The job may involve design using autocad, working with suppliers to develop new components, building prototype cars, testing them in Alasks or the Sahara, getting involved in the manufacturing process, generating business plans and a whole host of other activities. It is tremendously fulfilling to be involved in the design & development of a new car model & see it come to fruition.
There are some fantastic opportunities in Engineering which are highly paid & offer the option to travel which are simply not available in other industries so next time someone says “Engineering is boring” ask them what they do which is so damn exciting.
Chris@amberhill.biz
www.amberhill.bizAMBERHILL-LOGO-THUMB

Moonstruck

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apollo11
Today we are celebrating the 45th anniversary of the 1969 moon landings when human beings first set foot on an alien world after travelling from Earth in a tin can piloted by a computer significantly less powerful than the phone on which I type this Blog.
In an era before the Internet, mobile phones, social media or google, when a basic computer was the size of a terraced house a record TV audience of billions tuned in from Alaska to Antarctica & humanity was one family, huddled together on the Worlds sofa, holding their collective breath as tentative steps were taken on a far off world….”one small step for a man….a giant leap for mankind”
Chris@amberhill.biz
www.amberhill.biz

Follow the #Leader

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leaderGood Managers don’t neccessarily make good Leaders & vice versa. Leaders can be found in any strata of society and it is probably true to say they are born rather than made although, they often need to be discovered. Here are some key leadership traits:-

  • Leaders swim against the tide.
  • They are often mavericks who don’t follow ‘the rules’ even the ones they create.
  • They lead by example and practice what they preach.
  • They are resillient and mentally strong.
  • Often loathed as much as loved.
  • Don’t care what everyone else thinks.
  • Lead by inspiration.
  • Upset people by stirring things up.
  • Are often considered ‘awkward’ or demanding.

Are you a follower or a Leader ?

Chris@amberhill.biz

www.amberhill.biz

AMBERHILL-LOGO-THUMB 

 

Jaguar Land Rover goes from strength to strength #innovation

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evoque2This week Jaguar Land Rover released the following press statement:-

‘JLR creates 250 new jobs as Halewood is confirmed as the home of the new Discovery Sport
The Land Rover Discovery Sport has been confirmed as the latest model to be produced at Jaguar Land Rover’s Halewood plant. The additional jobs announced to support Jaguar Land Rover’s newest model will see the Halewood workforce reach 4,750 – more than treble the number employed there in 2010. The Halewood plant has benefited from a £200 million investment to support introduction of the first member of the all-new Land Rover Discovery family, taking the total amount invested in Halewood over the last four years to almost £500 million.’
 
So why are JLR doing so well when volume manufacturers like General Motors Vauxhall and other Marques are struggling:-
 
1) JLR are taking advantage of a global rise in premium SUV’s driven, to a large extent, by the Chinese market.
 
2) Their customers are relatively well off & have higher disposable income.
 
3) They have targeted the export market, with over 80% of sales destined for overseas.
 
4) Their Quality standards are superior, the attention to detail is exceptional .
 
5) They have an excellent engineering pedigree with a stable workforce with many, many years experience. There is no other company in the World knows as much about four wheel drive systems as Land Rover.
 
6) Jaguar Land Rover has a flexible business model & employs many talented & experienced engineering contractors. 
 
7) They use a proven stage gate development process (described in an earlier post)
 
8) They have enjoyed massive Capital Investment from Tata investing over 2.75 billion pounds in 2014. Not bad for an organisation which was on its knees before the Tata takeover.
AMBERHILL-LOGO-THUMB

Rage against the machine…………………………#AI #Innovation

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AIThere is much speculation in the sphere of Artificial Intelligence as to when we will arrive at a point in time when machines develop ‘intelligence’ which is beyond that of a human being. This event is often referred to as ‘The Singularity’ as it is difficult to see how human society will evolve after this point as Machine intelligence surpasses our own then grows exponentially..
 
These ideas are explored by Ray Kurzweil in his 2005 book ‘The Singularity is Near’ which discusses the impact of this collossal technological advance & its impact on individuals & society.
 
Of course there are many examples of the use of robots in industry, including the automotive industry where they are ’employed’ where precision & repeatability is essential. In contrast there are plenty assembly lines still employing thousands of human beings because they are more flexible & cost a lot less.
 
There are also may examples in society where A.I is ‘helping’ us including Apples ‘Siri’ which executes voice commands & learns our speech. Sometimes it is easy to forget the iPhone has only been around since 2007  such is the speed of technological innovation.
 
Of course Intelligence is no guarantee of a better society. There are millions of human geniuses now but we still suffer from war, mass starvation, wealth disparity, poverty & numerous other adverse conditions which are a result of the way we organize society rather than the intelligence of the population. Intelligence does not equal wisdom.
 
Predictions vary as to the date of the ‘Singularity’ but general consensus puts it around 2040. If you live that long you may live forever, alternatively you may live to regret it.
AMBERHILL-LOGO-THUMB
 

Are you a headless chicken?………………….#innovation

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You must be doing something really important eh ? running around like a headless chicken all day putting those fires out. You haven’t got time to headless-chickenthink about future products because your far too busy fixing the current ones!
But hang on a minute……if your not focusing on those future products where is your future revenue coming from when all the old ones become obsolete?

How do you escape this vicious circle ?

  • Keep a timesheet to find out how much time you spend fire fighting & how much on future products.
  • You will probably find it’s 80/20
  • To turn this around you need to gradually increase the time you spend on future product development  to 80%
  • Resist the urge to persist in fire fighting.
  • As time progresses the time you spend on fire fighting will decrease because you have put more effort into your future product development, getting it right first time and minimising the need for fire fighting.

so, are you a headless chicken ?
chris@projectsguru.co.uk

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Stage gate process aids product development #pmot

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ISO9001designprocessIn the Automotive# industry thousands of individual components are designed, developed, prototyped, tested and tuned silmultaneously to be brought together as a finished car which has to meet exacting standards for safety, perfomance and reliability.

An incredible feat of engineering and project management which is made possible by the effective use of a rigorous stage gate process based on ISO9001 . Here the output of one stage has to meet pre-defined standards before the project is allowed to move to the next stage.

The key to continued success is the fine tuning of the process itself based on ‘lessons learned’ from previous projects.
chris@projectsguru.co.uk

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