MEPCA is delighted to be celebrating Thomas Flude, the co-founder of Engineers Insight, as our Manufacturing Champion of the Month.
For those who don’t know of Tom or his disruptive work at Engineers Insight, he has been embedded in the manufacturing industry for over 12 years, during which time he worked at Schneider Electric and Yaskawa. It was while working at Yaskawa, the leading robotics and controls manufacturer, that Tom recognised an industry-wide inefficiency in the current product launch process, which he saw as in need of an urgent digital revolution.
Tom concentrated this ambitious vision for the industry into Engineers Insight; an extensive, centralised platform for the manufacturing industry, designed to assist manufacturers to bring their innovations to market, and provide engineers with a single-source location for everything they require. The Engineers Insight app was launched in May 2023 and now has over 1200 users.
This month, we are celebrating Tom for his commitment to shaping the future of the industry, and he has kindly agreed to answer our questions.
- With Engineers Insight now well surpassing a year since its inception, how would you describe the journey so far?
The journey has b
een a mix of difficulty, stress, and reward. We’ve evolved from struggling to get noticed to establishing partnerships with over 40 global manufacturers, The Manufacturing Technology Centre, Enginuity, Automate UK, and major UK exhibitions. We’re also making strides in education, showing students the exciting possibilities within manufacturing.
Our podcast, “Through the Eye,” is now reaching around 20,000 views per episode on YouTube (shameless plug!). Frustrated by the typical sales pitches on LinkedIn, we decided to focus on storytelling. Our podcast features industry leaders sharing their personal journeys, challenges, and leadership insights, with the aim of inspiring the next generation of engineers.
- What impact do you hope to make on the manufacturing & engineering industry through your work within the sector?
My goal is to create a comprehensive platform that consolidates everything the industry needs. Manufacturing can be fragmented, so we’re building a single resource for product information, documents, videos, distributors, job listings, training courses, case studies, editorials, community forums, and more. For free.
I want Engineers Insight to be the go-to brand for every young person entering the industry. By working with education and apprenticeship providers, we’re putting Engineers Insight into the hands of tens of thousands of students. This will allow them to access resources, watch videos, download brochures, ask questions, and join training courses before they even start their careers. I wish I had something like this when I was an apprentice.
- As this month’s Manufacturing Champion of the Month, who would you also like to recognize for their contributions to the industry, and why?
There are a lot of amazing people in my network that deserve shout outs, but I think we should all be supporting @Andrea Wilson and her campaign for a Champion for Manufacturing in Government. The UK needs a robust industrial strategy to connect supply chains, create jobs, close the skills gap, and re-establish itself among the top 10 global manufacturing economies. As an industry we are responsible for £217 Billion of output, 2.6 Million jobs and 45% of all exports. Why aren’t our voices being heard?
Each month, we’ll spotlight an outstanding individual whose dedication and innovation are driving the manufacturing industry forward. Join us in celebrating their remarkable contributions and inspiring stories that shape the future of manufacturing.
