UK”s Leading Manufacturers Share Success Stories at Conference

Phil Black - PII Editor 05/11/2014

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Manufacturing in the UK is in resurgence. Since experiencing one of the worst declines during the last recession the sector is now seeing a steady rise in production. However the competitive global market means that British manufacturers have to invest – in technology, in training and in marketing and design – in order to manufacture products that the world wants to buy.

To help uncover the secrets of growth the IOD is hosting a conference where some of the region’s leading manufacturers will share their success stories and their vision for the future.

Sponsored by PwC and Weightmans, the speakers are:

Tony Attard OBE, Managing Director of Panaz Ltd
Ivan Buckley, Project Manager of The National Graphene Institute
Jason Speedy, Head of Manufacturing at Siemens
Robin Weston, Marketing Manager of Renishaw PLC
Peter Marsh, Former Manufacturing Editor at The Financial Times and Author of The New Industrial Revolution
Trevor Williams, Chief Economist with Lloyds

Rachel Smith, Regional Director at the IOD said,

“There is a more positive leaning towards expenditure on training marketing and research and development. However, to boost business investment further there needs to be an improvement in access to finance for small and medium-sized companies and long-term rules for tax breaks established that support the capital expenditure required to back the necessary investment.”

Andrew Roberts, Partner and National Head of Manufacturing at Weightmans LLP, said:

“Although there are undoubtedly many reasons why it could be argued that now is a good time to be a manufacturer, the UK manufacturing sector also faces a number of major challenges at present including rapid technological change, ever increasing competition from overseas and shortages in labour with the skills needed for modern production processes. Those business that are able to meet challenges such as these head on and turn them into opportunities rather than threats will be among the real winners in the UK economy”.