Students’ real-life lesson in manufacturing

 
Prospective business leaders of tomorrow were given an insight into the innovations and challenges of manufacturing when they visited the UK’s leading reusable drinkware specialist First Editions.
 
Year 9 students from Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Engineering School  in Skelmersdale took a trip to the company’s factory in Tyseley, Birmingham, to get a first-hand insight into the manufacturing and branding processes.
 
The students were given a factory tour, followed by a talk about First Editions’ ethical supply chain and the importance of sustainability in business.
 
The visit made a big impact on the youngsters, with one of them commenting: “It was really interesting to see plastics transformed from little crystallised pieces into the final product, and it was fascinating to see the sheer amount of colours needed, as many companies are very strict about the reproduction of their brand.”
 
Another added: “The most interesting thing for me was learning about the recycling triangle on the bottom of our bottles, and what the different numbers mean. It’s something I’d never thought about before.”
 
Teacher, Sophie Devlin, who supervised the school trip, said: “We all had a fantastic time and the information First Editions provided was really interesting. It was a brilliant experience for the children to see a working factory and the sustainable way the company manufactures.
 
“First Editions was also kind enough to provide a number of resources for us to use in the future, and being a specialist engineering school, these will be very helpful.” 
 
First Editions’ Operations Manager Harry Walbaum commented: “The children were really engaged during the tour – they asked a lot of questions and I was impressed with their existing overall knowledge about plastics and recycling.”
 
Managing Director Mark Anderson added: “The students of today will be the business leaders of tomorrow, so it’s vital that they see it’s possible to run a profitable and growing UK manufacturing business built on genuine ethical and ecological principles. It was a pleasure to have them visit us.”