Blog
Manufacturing growth in the UK
30th December 2010
Sean O’Grady has a thoughtful and pertinent piece here in the Independent today on the challenges facing UK manufacturing industry as the British economy looks for new sources of growth.
Crucially he focuses on advanced manufacturing which creates more value-added than traditional high volume textiles, processing and metal-bashing.
“Advanced manufacturing” is more about research, innovation, design and software than sewing or metal-bashing, blurring the traditional border with the service sector…”
Britain does have some world class manufacturing businesses but are they of sufficient size to compensate for the long-term decline in output, jobs and investment in traditional industries?
For a positive slant on the future for UK manufacturing, this report from PWC published in the Spring of 2009 is a useful resource.
“The new focus on climate change and greener supply chains opens up a whole range of new prospects for UK manufacturing, for example in the design and production of clean technologies and renewable energy generation.”
Manufacturing employment and productivity in the UK
Data from Timetric.
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Geoff Riley
Geoff Riley FRSA has been teaching Economics for over thirty years. He has over twenty years experience as Head of Economics at leading schools. He writes extensively and is a contributor and presenter on CPD conferences in the UK and overseas.