News Industry Comment
Savvy UK manufacturing industry out- smarts the recession, PwC report shows
After holding two very successful official launch events, the new Connecting Industry website (
www.connectingindustry.com) is now live. This new site is the culmination of many months of hard work by our in- house website development team and we’re very happy with the result. We had a number of key objectives for the new site including increased awareness of the Connecting Industry brand and to make it clear that it is the home of the UK’s largest and strongest portfolio of industrial magazines. We wanted an easy to navigate, user- friendly site full of rich multi-media and interactive content. A global site search tool that works across the supplier database and editorial. Built-in Web 2.0 functionality so that it integrates seamlessly with social networks. An incorporated interactive online calendar that pulls together the dates of exhibitions, seminars and training events. Use the site as a vehicle to push awareness of our digital issues. Better administration tools to allow the editors to upload stories quickly and easily and therefore have news and features online faster, thereby keeping the site more up-to-date. Offer more advertising opportunities both in terms of space and interesting, engaging and targetted ways for clients to get their message across to name just a few. I’m very pleased to say we have met all these objectives and more. The idea behind the site is to build a community between our products, our readers and our advertising partners, so that by using the new website as our digital hub we really are connecting industry. Neil Mead - Managing Editor
The UK’s manufacturing indus- try is outsmarting the recession and the stock market, according to a new report out by PwC. As other sectors, including the financial sector, struggle to ride the ongoing recession, PwC’s ‘From Crisis to Growth’ report shows that not only has UK Manufacturing Plc’s share price index trebled since 2009, but anyone who had invested would have doubled their money over the past five years.
PwC also found that when recession strikes, companies tend to focus on eight key areas to sur- vive including scenario planning, supply chains, R&D and focusing much more on the customer. Clive Penwarden, industrial manufacturing partner at PwC, said: “This new research has sup- ported our positive view of how
the UK industrial manufacturing sector is performing. We first looked at these companies in 2010 to see what strategies they were implementing to deal with the impact of the recession and found they weren’t just reducing their costs like many sectors in the UK were doing, they saw the financial crisis as an opportunity for growth.
“The businesses we looked at restructured, became agile and flexible and looked to emerging markets for future growth. The strategies they implemented were not only crucial for survival, they have proven to be sustainable. With revenues showing an average year on year growth of nine per cent and 16 per cent in FY10 and FY11, and 2012 looking similarly positive, perhaps other sectors could learn from their success.”
When measured alongside global export growth to emerging markets, the UK still has some way to go to catch up with its peers, but recent financial per- formance of the UK manufactur- ing industry suggests it is in strong shape to regain some of this loss.
www.pwc.com/uk Finalists of Bosch Technology Horizons Award announced
The 2012 Bosch Technology Horizons Award is nearing its exciting finale with the announcement of the 14 finalists who each have a chance of winning the top prize. Each participant was tasked with submitting an innovative response to an engineering related essay question concerning environmental technology and the impact of engineering on the 2012 Olympics. First prize in the 14 to 18 age group is £700 whilst the winner of the 19 to 24 age group will receive £1,000. All finalists will be recognised at an awards ceremony on 17th July 2012 at the Royal Academy of Engineering, London.
The high quality entries cover a range of topics including suggestions to increase the uptake of renewable energy technology in addition to observations on how advances in green energy have affected human behaviour. Shortlisted essays discussing the technological impact of the Olympics discuss issues such as pressure on transport networks during the event and analyse the technology that is providing free Wi-Fi and HD filming throughout the event.
Peter Fouquet, President of Bosch in the UK, commented: “Congratulations to all the finalists of this year’s Bosch Technology Horizons Award. This annual event is designed to inspire young people so that they will consider engineering as a viable career path. As a leading UK-based company, this award allows us to encourage the next generation to share in our vision of applying innovation to business, whilst understanding its beneficial impact on the progress of technology and society.”
Every teacher submitting 20 or more student essays in the 14-18 age group will also receive a Bosch Easytrim electric line trimmer, a Bosch IXO cordless screwdriver or a Bosch 400w hand blender. As the two schools that submitted the highest number of essays, The Misbourne School in Great Missenden and Torquay Boys Grammar School will each receive an additional hamper of Bosch products worth £500.
www.bosch.co.uk/technologyhorizons
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