FOCUS FEATURE
WHAT AND WHERE IS THE EAST MIDLANDS? What better way to put a tick in all these boxes than to
boast of an overwhelmingly influential role in the great Industrial Revolution; which began in the mid-1750s and spanned close to a century. Robert Shore, of The Guardian, sums up the Midlands’
contribution to the Industrial Revolution powerfully in a recent piece, stating: ”The truth is that if Britain entered the 18th Century an agricultural nation and left it the world's foremost industrial power, it was almost entirely thanks to the ingenuity and enterprising spirit of Midlanders.” The scale and significance of the Industrial Revolution
means its relevance and resonance will always remain in the business world, and not just the sectors that align so closely to it. And it will always remain relevant. There is now talk of a
fourth Industrial Revolution, which the World Economic Forum describes as “the advent of ‘cyber-physical systems’ involving entirely new capabilities for people and machines. While these capabilities are reliant on the technologies and infrastructure of the Third Industrial Revolution, the Fourth Industrial Revolution represents entirely new ways in which technology becomes embedded within societies and even our human bodies.” If you’re looking for tag lines, something on which to
hang this identity so synonymous with the East Midlands – the region being home to the world’s oldest factory and the world’s oldest working factory is some statement. Sir Richard Arkwright’s Cromford Mill, in Derbyshire, built
in 1722, and Chamber member John Smedley’s Mill, at Lea, Derbyshire, lay claim to those respective titles. Indeed, the East Midlands’ contribution to industry
transcended far beyond the boundaries of England, and in double-quick time. As early as 1789 Samuel Slater, of Belper, a stone’s throw from the momentously innovative movement being created by Arkwright, had crossed the Atlantic to the United States of America, adapting the developing British model to new shores. He would spend the rest of his life in the USA and has
been credited by some as being the “Father of the American Factory System”. A slightly more flattering title than “Slater the Traitor” as he was often referred to in the East Midlands for, quite literally, jumping ship. Other regions undoubtedly played their part, but the
relatively small East Midlands – eight out of nine in relation to the population of the nine regions of England – is, arguably, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Beginning on the banks of the Derwent nearly 300 years
ago and influencing so much of what happens today, it’s definitely something to shout about. When we hear William Blake’s Jerusalem, and in particular “And was Jerusalem builded here, among these dark Satanic Mills?” we, and everyone looking to be associated with the region, should immediately think of the East Midlands. As long as industry continues to evolve, which it always
will, people will always refer back to previous revolutions of which, naturally, the first will remain the most profound and talked about. The East Midlands is ideally placed to capitalise on this and make the region identifiable with it. It could be argued that such rousing sentiment -
bordering on nostalgia - has little or no place in modern business negotiations. In a world dominated by targets, such talk is unquantifiable. Building an identity on past contributions isn’t overtly going to positively affect bottom lines or figures outlining how many East Midlands- based organisations have engaged and done business with new businesses and markets the world over. But this is also an age of USPs.
Where businesses, regions, countries even, strive to set themselves apart, make themselves more attractive and investible. As established earlier, good businesses will
always find a way on their own. But as Ian Harrison of the Department for International
36 business network March 2017 Friars Mill, in Leicester, saw worsted spinning as early as 1739
Trade mentions in this month’s Business Network interview, there is something eminently powerful and desirable about the region working together; being greater than the sum of its parts. And that’s where branding and, more importantly,
identity, come into their own. Branding campaigns come and go but identity can become ingrained and, as we have seen, what an identity we have to tap into. The East Midlands naturally has a duty to promote itself
and its high level of specialisms and expertise in the 21st Century to a global audience. It will no doubt forge new reputations as the fast-paced world of business evolves. But are we too quick to consign the past to history? From the historic mills of Derbyshire, the invention of the
stocking frame - the first major stage in the mechanisation of the textile industry – in Nottinghamshire to the Chamber’s very own historic Friars Mill, in Leicester, which saw worsted spinning as early as 1739, the East Midlands as a collective region is united in its profound contribution to the Industrial Revolution. When we look at what the East Midlands is, how the region is perceived and how it can effectively and innovatively
package itself up and sell to the outside world, perhaps we can do a lot worse than looking back, when we consider looking forward.
The historic Friars Mill site in Leicester
‘Branding campaigns come and go but identity can become ingrained and, as we have seen, what an identity we have to tap into’
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