These were some of the stark warnings delivered by industry leaders at The Future of UK Manufacturing Summit, held early March at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ London HQ, and sponsored by the Technology Strategy Board, Intellect, 'ERA Foundations, the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and B2B publishers Findlay Media.

It appears to have sparked a Vote for Manufacturing Campaign being conducted by Ed Tranter of Findlay Media which covers engineering design, manufaturing technology, machinery classified, new electronics, plant engineer and works management.

Tranter (left) says “Just a few years ago, the feeling was that the UK needed to plan for a post industrial economy; one based on finance. But after a period of enormous economic change, within the UK and the wider world, manufacturing has never been more important.

With economists and politicians of every type agreeing that manufacture is the key to a balanced and successful economy, the stage is firmly set for the discussion of how we get to that point.”

[Actually the finance based economy has been watched with a leery eye by many in the business world whose feelings ranged from 'bounce back after the Dot Com bust', to anticipating a hightech industrial economy given developing nano and bio materials' combined with an implicit belief in manufacture.]

Conference outcome
The conference endorsed five priority actions vital for manufacturing businesses and all their employees:long term leadership, cultural change, engineering skills, incentives & taxes and energy costs.

The Vote Manufacturing campaign, launched by Findlay Media with the support of the ERA Foundation and the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, will drive these priorities home to all party candidates standing at the forthcoming General Election.

The UK manufacturing sector is a powerful body. It employs 3m people directly and almost as many manufacturing service providers. When you add in their relatives, it comes to some 10m voters – more than enough to shape the outcome of the imminent General Election.

Candidates from all political parties now realise that manufacturing is the key to a balanced and successful economy. To win their seats they’ll all talk a good case. The campaign has been designed to make sure candidates back their talk with appropriate, decisive and immediate actions says Campaign director Tranter.


The campaign calls for: Action on long term leadership
Turning the nation’s back on the manufacturing industry has put the entire economy in deep danger. If our manufacturers exported 10% more and we bought 10% less from manufacturers overseas, the annual balance of payments would improve by £45bn. That’s more than the entire financial sector now contributes and large enough that it could reduce the UK’s national debt by £200bn in 10 years. No other business sector offers such great potential for restoring UK prosperity.

Action on cultural change
Parents, students, teachers and the media need to understand that manufacturing growth is essential to the UK’s economic health. Thousands of our engineering and manufacturing businesses are world class, high-tech and offer exciting career choices that remain unrecognised. Government can change the national culture through joined up leadership by ministers in education, business and the community, particularly schools.

Action on engineering skills
Retirement, redundancy and higher salaries in finance and consultancy have eroded our technical skills base. A shortfall in qualified staff will prevent manufacturing growth and success within a decade. Our education system must adapt right now. Numeracy, literacy and practical skills must be improved in schools. Programmes for vocational and academic education must integrate to deliver the skills manufacturers need. If the necessary talent is there, more manufacturers will be too. Only government can make it happen and progress is far too slow.

Action on incentives and taxes
Government procurement must become much more effective in generating innovation, manufacturing and employment. Too many complex initiatives for investment and innovation are spread too thinly among too many organisations. Banks are still setting excessive constraints on loans to manufacturers and a Bank for Industry should be set up. Taxes should favour investment in manufacturing and should also attract start ups and overseas companies to set up new UK factories.

Action on energy costs
Artificially high energy costs disadvantage many UK manufacturers. High users not only find it difficult to compete, but their extra costs move through their customers and down the supply chain, harming many more companies. Having allowed our main energy utilities to become foreign owned, government must act to ensure pricing is fair.

Sectors may battle, involve all
What is really interesting about this Manufacturing Vote conference was that it focused on four sectoral dominants: Aerospace, Automotive, Defence and Electronics (right). It's be a sad world if UK manufacturing had to rely on just those sectors.

What is absolutely breathtaking for any trained industrial journalist (a dying breed in the UK) is that omitted from this 'four horse race' are such humble imanufacturing sectors as chemicals, mining, paper, food & drink, (fed by fishing and faming) packaging, textiles, industrial gas, ceramics & glass, software, housing, power, telecommunications, foundries etc, etc.

Anybody really aiming to make manufacture apear that star in the firmament, which it undoubtedly is, must include all the multifaceted performers that 'manufacture', as it is that diversity which makes the it so all important.

It has to be said that manufacturing summit partners listed below encompass a goodly breadth of expertise and just might hopefully endorse a view that widens the brief.

Partners
Department for Business Innovation & Skills
Technology Strategy Board
Regional Development Agency
Manufacturing Advisory Service
Manufacturing Insight
EPSRC
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
IET
ERA
Institution of Civil Engineers
Royal Academy of Engineering
Electronic Leadership Council
Electronic Knowledge Transfer Network
UK Electronic Alliance
Engineering UK
INTELLECT
TUC
Warwick University
Cambridge University
SOE (Society of Operations Engineers)
IRTE
IPlantE
Cranfield University – School of Management
The Manufacturing Technologies Association