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Category: 2016 Blogs

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2016 Blogs

Then and Now – What Britain Was Like the Year Rap Industries Was Founded

41 years ago when Rap Industries was first founded, Britain was very different, but during a period which was rife with terrorism and economic turmoil, the reality was surprisingly similar to the Britain we live in today. The monarch, Queen Elizabeth II remains the same to this day and we have been through a wealth of prime ministers both good and bad. It was the year when Britain last voted on our participation in Europe and also the last time that junior doctors went on strike, showing many issues which affected Britain back then continue to affect us now.

In 1975, Harold Wilson’s Labour Party led the country during a double dip recession, which was very similar to the situation we have recently come through in Britain. At the same time, Margaret Thatcher rose to become the first female leader of the Conservative Party, all while miners accepted a 35% pay increase which would serve as a pre-cursor for the years to come. Meanwhile, the country voted on whether to leave the European community which was the international body that would later develop into the European Union. With a similar referendum occurring in 2016, it is well worth noting that 67% voted to remain in Europe over 40 years ago.

There is further correlation between the economy then and now as Britain entered a double dip recession in 1975 in scenes that have since been replicated far more recently. In fact, two of the major issues facing the country were rising inflation and unemployment rates which were setting levels unseen since records began in 1750. History showed that reaffirming our relationship in Europe led to an economic recovery, however whether that effect is direct or indirect, it will be interesting to see the direction Britain takes later this year.

While terrorism may only feel like a fairly recent phenomenon after the rise of groups such as Al-Qaeda, its origins began much closer to home. Britain has long had a tumultuous relationship with Ireland ever since Oliver Cromwell invaded during the 17th century as he sought to integrate the Emerald Isles with Britain. Ever since, Ireland has been divided between the Republic in the south and Northern Ireland who are ultimately split over whether to remain part of Britain. This boiled over during the 1970s as bombs were set off by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in tube stations as well as the London Hilton hotel.

Certainly, a lot has indeed changed since Rap Industries first began manufacturing office equipment 41 years ago. Although, some of the similarities are quite remarkable, meanwhile others continue to have substantial impact on society today. One thing for sure is that as the world has continued to innovate, so have we, but not without keeping track of what matters most, the satisfaction of our customers.

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2016 Blogs

Making the Most of Space in Hospitals and Clinics

Space has become a commodity across hospitals in Britain as patient numbers swell yet the number of rooms available remains the same. As the budget will rarely stretch to acquiring new areas, it is therefore crucial to make the most of the space available while maintaining optimal care for every patient. Hospitals and clinics are well known for being dynamic environments which in the same vein of the issues they contend with, operate like a cell where each process needs to work together in order to run smoothly.

Portable room dividers and portable screens fit into this dynamic comfortably, allowing space to be created in seconds and it only requires one person to achieve. This frees up the vital time for staff to spread their care out amongst patients equally. Especially in wards and waiting rooms where privacy is vital, portable room dividers can be walked out in seconds, providing enclosed spaces when they are needed most. Many portable room dividers are now available with an anti-bacterial material which prevents the spread of germs and virus’ to ensure the high standards of the hospital are maintained.

This innovative material allows portable room dividers to be utilised across a wide range of healthcare environments where maintaining the privacy of patients and their families is of the utmost importance. Similarly, it prevents the spread of any illnesses brought in by other patients in clinics where contact with ill patients can be high. The flexibility of the system means they can be used in waiting rooms when required and then moved elsewhere if an issue arises.

The same applies in pharmacies, blood donation clinics and other medical environments which require space to be simply and quickly divided and providing patients with privacy during what can be sensitive times. There is the added option with some portable room dividers to have acoustic foam included which works by soaking up sound waves, reducing sound coming in, as well as keeping conversations between patients and staff strictly confidential.

Finally, for a unique use, the portable room dividers can be tailor made to adapt to training exercises and helping to develop the skills of the future generation of medical staff. The option to include printed panels means that medical environments can be recreated on the room dividers to assist trainees. Meanwhile, the lightweight material ensures they can be packed away easily and effectively when not in use.

If you would like to learn more about the options available with the portable room dividers from Rap Industries, then please feel free to give us a call on 01733 394941 or by sending an e-mail to sales@rapind.com.

IMG_5055 Cobalt Blue model

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2016 Blogs

How You Can Breathe New Life into Your Workspace

The deep spring clean should not be restricted to the home, after all, you spend a large majority of your time at work. In particular, for those of you sat at a desk from 9 until 5, the clutter can build up considerably throughout the year. I’m not just talking about those chocolate wrappers which you had a few too many of over Christmas, it’s the unfiled paperwork and your computer too. In fact, when you are sat in one place for many hours a day, you will be surprised quite where the mess can seep into.

After giving the desk a quick wipe down, it’s time to get down to business and start re-organising. Let’s start at the worst part – your catch all drawer. You know the one, when something drops on your desk and you do not want anything to do with it, you whip open the drawer and stuff it in there, hoping you will forget. Unfortunately, unlike the wardrobe in The Chronicles of Narnia, it is still there and now your drawer is overflowing with random junk.

With most of that safely deposited in the nearest bin, you now have the ball rolling, congratulations. Next up, create a system to maintain the flow of your work with a way to distinguish what is outgoing and what work you still need to complete. It does not need to be complex, a couple of baskets will keep things neat and tidy on your desk all while ensuring that important report does not slip through the net again.

Now, your physical space is looking a lot more organised, but your computer is a complete minefield. Freezes, crashes and your virus protection flashing at you have all become the norm in the past few months. Just like the catch all drawer, your computer gathers up all the mess and it looks like it has disappeared forever thanks to technology, unfortunately after a year of flooding it with downloads and word documents, it will become full like the catch all drawer, and when it does, it will get stuck. So set up a few folders to organise all those documents you haphazardly saved to the desktop and give your e-mail inbox, outbox and sent folder a deep cleanse. E-mail programmes enjoy taking up tonnes of space.

Nearly there now, and with your work space in order, there is but one thing left to remedy. You’ve given the area you work in a fresh start, so be sure to give yourself a clean slate. If there is something you have been putting off, perhaps it got lost in the mire of the catch all drawer or you found it floating in your inbox amongst thousands of e-mails trying to sell you a *Rolex* watch, now is the time to get it out of the way.

So now you are ready for another year, armed with a fairly coherent filing system and a clean drawer, ready for you start flinging paper clips into. If you fancy adding a couple of finishing touches, I would suggest adding a bit of greenery. A small plant will do, or if you are feeling particularly creative, a bonsai tree will not only add a bit of life to your desk, but you might be able to kill a few more minutes of your day tending to it.

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2016 Blogs

Why Portable Room Dividers Are the Ideal Companion for Schools and Nurseries…

For schools and nurseries, when the budget tightens, creating space is often one of the first things to be sacrificed. Certainly, priority should go towards more textbooks and teaching materials, but that does not mean that there is not enough room in the budget to make student workspaces more efficient and ultimately helping your students to learn. In the past, bloated student numbers and hectic timetables made finding suitable teaching spaces a challenge. Instead, large spaces that you might not have considered to be viable such as the school gymnasium, can in fact be adapted using Portable Room Dividers to create temporary, effective work spaces.

What makes Portable Room Dividers so effective is that they can adapt to the environment you are using them in. For example, if you quickly need to transform your cafeteria into a classroom in a matter of minutes, then the dividers can be quickly rolled out to create the space in seconds. Regardless of the size of the space, big rooms such as gymnasiums and lobbies can be quickly transformed to create multiple portable classrooms, all while providing a quality environment for students to learn. The flexible hinge which connects each panel together, allows Portable Room Dividers to fold out and fold away in the style of an accordion so the stress is taken away if you need to create a temporary classroom in a rush.

While quickly setting up temporary classrooms is handy, Portable Room Dividers have a lot more potential to justify why they are such a cost effective solution for schools and nurseries. Traditionally, each panel is covered with loop nylon fabric which is simply pinnable. However, here at Rap Industries, we believe in helping our customers to get the most for their money, which is why our Portable Room Dividers have a breadth of customisation options available to help them truly integrate with the environment. As a start, we can create partitions which include acoustic foam, ideal for soaking up ambient noise from surrounding areas, allowing each space to be divided into more than one room.

Furthermore, another option is an easy clean laminate finish, which allows the Portable Room Dividers to be used as a whiteboard, creating flexible classrooms for teachers. As an alternative possibility, we also produce high quality printed panels which feature a unique design. In the past, some of our clients have utilised this to create partitions featuring learning material such as multiplication tables which are incorporated in a stimulating design to create an interesting backdrop to help children to learn.

Ultimately, Portable Room Dividers are a cheaper, more versatile option to permanent walls. While they are ideal for creating multipurpose spaces, the customisation options available with them allow teachers to adapt and develop their approach to create stimulating learning environments for their students. Rather than the simple white gloss walls which envelope many modern day classrooms, Portable Room Dividers deliver a stylish and appealing surrounding which can help students to focus and develop.

If you would like further advice on what Portable Room Dividers can help you to achieve or you would simply like to know more about the customisation options available, then please feel free to get in touch with our team of advisors at sales@rapind.com or by phone at 01733 394941.

Mobi Printed

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2016 Blogs

Keeping it British – Why Supporting British Manufacturers is as Important as ever

There is a lot of discussion floating around as to how Britain can help to stimulate its manufacturing industry in order to reclaim the crown as one of the world’s manufacturing powerhouses. This is all fine and well, only that there is very little literature exploring what exactly it is that manufacturing provides Britain with. Grazing the surface reveals its contribution to the economy has dropped from over forty percent to a mere 14% in around 70 years. More and more British manufacturers have been returning over the past few years, but this has hardly reflected in a huge boost in growth, in fact the growth is slowing year on year.

While the number of employees in British manufacturing has gradually been in decline due to the growth of technology which has slowly cut jobs. Yet still to this day over two and a half million people are employed in British manufacturing and this is often in highly concentrated areas. Even during the peak times of the mining industry in Yorkshire and South Wales, these industries encouraged communities to spring up around them. Significantly, when the coal mining industry went into decline, it quickly became clear how dependent some communities were as many were left devastated in the wake of mine closures.

Losing manufacturing in Britain would mean devastation to many communities in Britain which rely on manufacturing and not the services industry. If a factory closes, this can leave hundreds or even thousands of skilled labourers without a job in an area where there simply are not enough other jobs in order to sustain the amount of people living there.

The contribution which British manufacturers make to the economy is certainly minor in comparison to the services sector, but that 14% is hardly a figure to be gawked at. Losing these businesses would instigate a domino effect as staff from the manufacturing industry would lack the spending power to continue to contribute to the services sector which would result in a vicious cycle. Manufacturing has always been and will almost certainly always be an important cog in the British economy and invigorating this industry is a fairly obvious way of encouraging growth across the country.

The overriding impact of British manufacturing more than anything is that they fly the Union Jack across the globe. The reputation of Britain as a country is well built upon the names of Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Triumph, Silver Spoon and many more. Each is synonymous with quality and excellence which in turn rubs off on other products considered to be British. ‘Made in Britain’ is a stamp of quality made famous by manufacturing forerunners which is now being picked up by the new generation of British manufacturers who maintain the values associated with it.

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2016 Blogs

Where Does Manufacturing Provide the Most Jobs?

The New Industrial Revolution in Britain – Which Regions Are Set to Benefit the Most?

Over the past two centuries, the boom of the manufacturing industry in Britain has been crucial to boosting the growth of various regions. You can trace back one thousand years to when Norwich was the largest city in Britain due its agricultural industry. Since then, the boom of other regional parts of Britain has boiled down to their access to resources and materials. With manufacturing in Britain resurgent once again, it again raises the question of where can new manufacturers thrive now as access to resources and materials is no longer as clean cut as it has been in the past.

Britain can already boast world leading manufacturers in the space, automotive and even 3D printing industries, which emphasises how British companies are now utilising their skills and technology to develop. It is no longer as simple as being able to source the materials for these out of the ground as components used in high tech industries are often shipped in from across the world because of the diverse range of technology which is in use.

However, in the past regional growth has and continues to be synonymous with industries that have supported them such as the textiles industry in Lancashire, the steel industry in Yorkshire and the maritime industry in the north east of England. Immediate access to the relevant resources as well as pre-existing personal networks and technical skills have ensured that certain regions became dependent on the success of individual industries. The impact can be seen more recently in 2015 with the crisis over the steel industry in Yorkshire where thousands of jobs have been lost due to intense competition from Chinese steel manufacturers.

The landscape is changing though and as more manufacturers are re-shoring (returning to Britain), there is increasing optimism for the growth of a new batch of British manufacturers. With that comes the potential to create new regional hubs centred around emerging industries. Rather than access to resources, these emerging manufacturers will be based around access to skilled labour, available land and access to shipping routes. Experts hope such regions will be reminiscent of Silicon Valley in California where expansion into engineering by universities such as Stanford encouraged graduates including Hewlett and Packard to start new companies.

The Silicon Valley model is certainly not easy to replicate, but largely unpopulated agricultural areas in Britain which are combined with strong surrounding educational infrastructure can provide an ideal opportunity for start-up companies on the eve of a new industrial revolution in Britain. While London certainly provides the cultural boost which Silicon Valley enjoyed due to being located next to San Francisco, the cost of setting up there is significantly higher than in other parts of the country. Glancing over university league tables reveals Cambridge, Bristol and Bath as leaders in engineering education which could provide a great basis for areas such as Somerset and East Anglia to be potential hubs for technology start-ups.

While this theory is entirely hypothetical, it is clear that for British manufacturing to succeed in the future, it needs to play to its strengths as a world leader in education and innovation and also provide the suitable base for start-ups to nourish and grow. Universities in Britain have already begun to see success by establishing links with local industries in order to attract talent to their region which is beginning to see an increasing number of fresh British manufacturers begin to flourish.

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2016 Blogs

Origins of British Manufacturer

The Roots of British Manufacturing and How It Lost its Crown…

From the dawn of the industrial revolution, for over 100 years Britain was the beacon of industrialisation which so many would follow. In the period around the 1760s, streamlined production grew exponentially after the introduction of steam power and the advent of the power of coal. These discoveries combined with a developing nation led to a golden age for British technology as innovation and imagination bloomed. What followed was Britain’s rise as a powerhouse of industry until the 1900s, but considering the force it once was, it is a wonder why Britain has slipped to being only the 8th largest manufacturer today.

Britain’s breakthrough into the industrial scene stemmed from a wealth of scientific talent, inquisitive inventors and craftsmen who were able to bring their ideas to life using steam power. With that came the opportunity for automation and machinery which allowed for production of goods on a grand scale. Textiles in particular were a major beneficiary, as while a garment before would have to be handmade, with the advent of machinery, production time was significantly reduced. Lancashire’s cotton mills were for a long period Britain’s largest export with a common phrase at the time being; “Britain’s bread hangs by Lancashire’s thread”.

The dominance of the industry by Britain would continue throughout the Victorian era until the first world war when it began to loosen its grip and with competitors on the horizon. The period between 1914-1918 signalled the beginning of Britain’s decline on the global stage. Despite lasting for four years, the focus of manufacturers drastically switched to support the war effort, leaving major contracts with countries around the world available for their competitors. The United States was the main beneficiary as by remaining neutral until 1917 saw many US manufacturers picking up what British manufacturers had left behind. The war would reinvigorate the US economy but left Britain reeling for many years to come.

British manufacturing was further crippled in 1929 following the Wall Street Crash which sent ripples across the world and hardly gave room for Britons to regain the ground they had lost during the First World War. Fast forward to 1938 and history repeated itself as manufacturers turned to contribute to the war effort, leaving the country burdened with debts which it is still paying off to this day. To compound matters, Germany made a remarkable recovery following the war, leaving Britain with the image of the ‘sick man of Europe’ as it attempted to switch from Empire to Europe in order to reinvigorate trade expansion.

The manufacturing industry since then has been playing catch up, attempting to reclaim former glories and its crown as the world’s leading industrial scene. Many Prime Ministers and political parties have come and gone with the promise of returning Britain to the top of the tree, but all of these have been ambitious to say the least. Nationalisation during the tenure of Harold Wilson between 1964 and 1970 for the most part failed and financial crises in the ensuing years further aggravated matters. After this inaugural show of political intervention, governments have primarily taken increasing responsibility in reinvigorating the industry as it struggled during the years of Margaret Thatcher (1979-90) before being built back up again by the governments of Tony Blair (1997-07) and Gordon Brown (2007-10).

This brings us back to today, during a period where British manufacturing appears to still be trying to find a new identity and establish itself on the global stage once again. As investment shifts from efficiency into research and quality, British manufacturers are developing a reputation for creative, innovative and imaginative products once again like it had done hundreds of years ago.

#MadeInBritain #BritishManufacturers #RapIndustries

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2016 Blogs

How Can British Manufacturing Continue to Improve in the Future

Fostering Innovation: How British Manufacturers Can Compete on the Global Stage

As the ‘March of the Makers’ continues to grow and British manufacturers begin to re-enter the global stage, it is vital that sustainable plans are laid out to keep British manufacturing at the forefront of the industry. In a recent survey, 89% of British manufacturers said staying up to date with technology is important to success, yet of these, many do not have proper plans in place to adopt new technology or recruit the next generation of employees. Britain knows that it will never be able to compete with other countries in producing a high volume of products, but where it can truly excel is in innovation.

Innovation is a term which can be applied throughout British manufacturing and in particular is integral to technology as well as training and development. The major advantage for British manufacturers is the wealth of knowledge already available to them, the next step is to use this effectively to help the manufacturer to compete on the global stage. With a background in technological innovation, Britain is well placed to drive new demand by creating unique products which are not being developed anywhere else.

Utilising the skills of an educated workforce can be achieved primarily by channelling funding into research and development to create unique products. By focusing on high quality exports, British manufacturers can harness their reputation to create a distinctive and competitive market position. With products such as these, manufacturers can drive new growth and demand in both Britain and abroad. Focusing on goods which are of ‘customer-relevant quality’ is a reliable way to create quality products which are relevant for emerging markets.

A serious issue for some manufacturers has been their ability to retain talented staff and therefore an important component in succeeding is investing in the training and development of employees. Developing a company culture through compelling work environments can boost employee satisfaction as well as encouraging them to contribute more in the production process. Investing in retaining a workforce which is embedded in the organisation will help staff to understand the organisation’s goals and combining this with training and development programmes will encourage employees to grow with the manufacturer.

At Rap Industries the focus is on creating innovative products in a competitive market. In order to remain at the forefront, great emphasis has been placed on creating unique products, ideal for emerging markets. For example, the Switch Banner features an interchangeable base to create a banner stand where the graphics can be easily changed. This focus on innovation ensures it remains competitive and provides for ever changing customer demands.

#Innovation #Events #SwitchBanner

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2016 Blogs

Industries – What are the benefits of using a British manufacturer?

British Manufacturing is Resurgent and This Is Why They Should Be Your Only Option

The campaign for products ‘Made in Britain’ has been rumbling along for some time, but as we head for a new era in manufacturing, its message is more poignant as British manufacturers slowly begin to thrive again. What made British products great in the past has until recently been overshadowed by cost effective and fast solutions. Manufacturing in the east and in particular in China have enjoyed exponential growth due to the offer of cheap labour, allowing companies to produce at incredibly cheap prices. Demand has now shifted as consumers call for quality and innovation, which are factors which British manufacturers are well renowned for.

In particular, the quality of British products has been a consistent factor for decades in ensuring the popularity of British brands. Where manufacturers from abroad can be guilty of cutting corners in order to reduce costs, British manufacturer’s success is often built on reputation in the community. Most importantly, having a reputation for good quality products is an integral factor why consumers keep faith in their local British manufacturer.

Great materials can then be combined with great design. While British manufacturers cannot compete with the volume that manufacturers from abroad can ship out, they compensate for this with innovative, forward thinking designs which take advantage of a skilled and technologically advanced workforce. In many industries, the introduction of technology has transformed low paid jobs into skilled opportunities. A major issue in British manufacturing has been its failure to retain staff, but with the emergence of higher skilled, higher paid jobs, there is significantly more incentive for skilled workers to stay in the industry.

The locality of British manufacturers allows for collaboration and interaction which leads to developing a relationship over time. With manufacturers abroad, conversations often do not extend past the first visit to establish the quality of the factory. Instead, British manufacturers are often accommodating to custom requests and your order can be tailored to suit your specific needs. As well as this, language can be an often understated factor, however if something were to go wrong with the order, there is nothing more re-assuring than being able to converse with a native speaker.

Rather than having to compete with the rest of the world, British manufacturers have realised they can take advantage of the premium and specialist markets. With an educated and skilled work force, British manufacturers are creating innovative designs which not only streamline the manufacturing process, but also result in intuitive and unique designs. By combining creativity, computing, design and engineering expertise together, British manufacturers are gaining an edge in the new world order of manufacturing.

Rap Industries are a British manufacturer which is following this trend by introducing innovative designs to create products which are unique as well as being made from quality materials. By working closely with clients, Rap Industries creates custom designs for exhibition stands in order to manufacture a product which is ideal for the purpose. If you would be interested in finding out more about the options available from Rap Industries, then please call 01733 394941 or send an e-mail to sales@rapind.com.

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2016 Blogs

West vs East – What Has Happened to British Manufacturing?

West vs East – Why British Manufacturing Can Be Optimistic for the Future

China has long been considered the world’s factory, producing a quarter of all global manufactured goods. With such tight control over the market, China has been edging out global competition with the prospect of a cheap yet skilled labour force. Their dominance in manufacturing has led to exponential economic growth over at least the past two decades, however things have begun to change. In what is being dubbed China’s ‘economic slowdown’, the economy continues to grow, however it is no longer at the considerable pace which it had been and that is cause for optimism for other corners of the world.

The prospect of a cheap yet skilled workforce has seen many British manufacturers make the move east to a country where there are more jobs than workers and staff are prepared to move thousands of miles for the right job.  Whereas in Britain, the workforce is shrinking with greater focus on automated technology as well as an aging workforce and very little incentive for younger generations to follow a career path in manufacturing. The result has left British manufacturers struggling to compete on a global stage, all while in China alone, competition continues to be incredibly fierce as companies fight to make the most of China’s economic boom.

However, China’s recent economic policies have leaned towards invigorating its services sector while manufacturing has been somewhat neglected. At the same time, as education levels in China rise, workers are literally able to pick and choose their employer as they realise the value of their skills. Some go as far as to ask for significant wage rises as they know they can achieve the same working at another manufacturer. This attitude has led to the average wage rising from twenty pence an hour to one pound in recent years. Considering that moving manufacturing to China can save around fifty pence per unit, the financial benefit of moving to China is beginning to wane.

This is where Britain now has an opportunity to regain a stake in the global manufacturing market. While Asia and the east has dominated low cost products, British manufacturing still retains a significant reputation amongst the global audience for high quality, reliable products. With a highly skilled workforce combined with innovative technology, British manufacturing still has a lot to offer at the high end of the market. While manufacturing in the east can offer speed and quantity, the west instead creates products which undergo rigorous quality assurance and are very often hand finished.

As Britain moves to make its manufacturing industry great again, it is already ahead of the east as it aims for sustainability. While Chinese policies benefit a snowball-esque approach to meeting demand, Britain has the infrastructure to foster and develop smaller, more innovative companies which are at the heart of technological progress. For fans of products ‘Made in Britain’, there is cause for quiet optimism if British manufacturers continue to use their skills and innovation to compete with the competition.

#MadeInBritain #BritishManufacturers


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