MANUFACTURING
An Island of Manufacturers:
th
“growth”
W
ith a new budget just around the corner, the same thought is on the mind of every UK business; will they put their money where their mouth is?
The last budget, devised by the previous Conservative government’s Jeremy Hunt, included £270 million worth of investment in advanced manufacturing, following the initial investment of £4.5bn announced in the Autumn Statement 2023.
Despite these plans and reports of manufacturing sector growth in 20 months, these gains haven’t been seen across the whole country, with over 200,000 manufacturing jobs lost across the UK over the last decade.
For further insight into what it means to be a “Made in Britain” business, we spoke to The Heritage Widow Company, who has made products in Britain for over 30 years.
What does ‘Made in Britain’ mean for businesses?
British quality is world-renowned. So much so, that the Barclays Made in Britain report found British-made products hold an important products, with consumers perceiving them as high-quality, reliable and internationally respected. The ‘Made in Britain’ tag was found to be worth an additional £3.5bn a year to UK exporters.
“We have always made our products in the UK,” says The Heritage Window Company’s managing director, Kevin Brown. “It’s important that our consumers know our products are made on British soil for use in British gardens. It holds weight for people knowing that a business is meeting meticulous UK manufacturing laws, contributing to UK British manufacturers do not only know their products more intimately, they also have a broader knowledge of their consumer’s wants and needs.
“Being a Made in Britain business has such a broad range of advantages, from enhanced public image to community presence and quality control,” says Kevin. “You get to know your local and national communities of customers, speak to them in person and oversee the development of products you know will satisfy their needs.”
British manufacturing can increase revenue by quickening the turnaround on production and delivery, as well as enabling businesses to offer unrivalled standards of customer care.
Why should the public and government care about British manufacturing?
largest in the world, employing 2.6m people and contributing £224bn of output. Now the UK has left the single market, our economy hinges on the manufacturing sector not only surviving, but thriving.
The British manufacturing industry is now the 8th
The manufacturing industry keeps the UK workforce skilled, meaning businesses do not have to outsource skilled labour to foreign countries. Further growth in the manufacturing
sector will also boost job creation, which is particularly important with UK unemployment leaping to 4.2 percent.
Britain has a reputation for producing quality goods and new trade opportunities outside of the single market highlight the importance of our manufacturing reputation. Further support will only strengthen the UK’s international standing, helping to secure new trade relationships.
The effect British manufacturing has on the economy cannot be understated. The recent True Impact April 2024 report by the Oxford Economics and the Manufacturing Technologies Association shows the manufacturing industry is worth £518bn, contributing 7.3m UK jobs. In other words, that’s almost a quarter (23 percent) of the UK’s GDP. What’s more, “making things” accounts for 34.5 percent of all UK goods and service exports and the median wage of manufacturing jobs is 11 percent above the national average.
British manufacturing isn’t going anywhere soon; a quarter of the UK economy relies on it, as does the livelihood of 7.3 million employees.
SEPTEMBER 2024 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS 41
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