I am writing this as I sit on the new Qantas A380 heading for UK. It’s over a year since I was back in UK. The last time I arrived I turned on the radio in my hire car to hear the news that Lehman Brothers had collapsed. The subsequent four hour drive to my home in Yorkshire left me concerned for the first time in my life that the banks might just fall over and something which had always felt guaranteed was actually at risk. So what will I find this time? I am scheduled to meet companies across the length and breadth of the country. I will be travelling to the North East, Scotland, North West, South West, East and West Midlands visiting companies who, I believe, are on the front line in terms of getting the UK out of recession. These companies are looking to exploit new markets, trading their way out of the downturn, risking their business to secure the jobs of their workforce and build a solid future for their families and communities. This blog records what I found…
The North East
The first part of my trip took me to Newcastle in the heart of the North East. Newcastle is one of those cities steeped in culture. The Tyne Bridge reminds me of the Sydney Harbour Bridge I see each day from my desk, Geordies and Mackems from Sunderland make up the two largest populations of this region and wear their colours (black or red and white stripes) with pride.
The region appeared confident. New developments in environmental technologies (low emission vehicles) and ICT have generated new investments into the region. Nissan’s massive investment has created the environment for a range of feeder industries to develop. North east companies continue to look to Australia as a place to do business. I met with ITV Signpost a company that brings sign language to masses of people through their very well developed web portal. This important service is ripe for export and I was particularly impressed with the quality of Signed Stories a website that adds sign language to all your favorite stories.
I also saw Mackellar Architecture who specialise in the design of railway stations. Their ability to find solutions to environmental and social problem through the design of smart transport interchanges makes them well positioned to bid into the Australian infrastructure market. They will be attending AusRAIL Plus 2009 in Adelaide as part of an extensive UKTI mission.
On to Scotland…
