I’ve been sifting the applicants for the international trade category of the Be Inspired Business Awards in Lancashire. What a fantastic testament to the future prospects for Britain’s manufacturing sector. I had 10 superb entries and had the unenviable task of getting them down to a shortlist of 5. They were all excellent and the ones that did not make the shortlist should be just as proud of themselves as those that made it. Look out for the announcement of the winner at the awards ceremony on 12th March in Blackpool.
Quite apart from the aerospace engineering sector in Lancashire which accounts for most of the sector’s staggering £7 billion contribution to the regional economy (the North West alone makes up a third of the entire UK’s aerospace industry), I was so impressed by the breadth of advanced manufacturing going on in the county. The range of innovative products made in Lancashire is immense - from green refrigeration equipment to advanced photonics via chemicals, electronics, automotive parts and construction equipment, all being sold around the globe from Brazil to New Zealand. Lancaster University is leading the way in environmental technology at its Lancaster Environment Centre, and I am proud to sit on the Strategic Advisory Board for the centre which is at the forefront of research and development.
There have been rumours that British manufacturing is dead, or at least in urgent need of medical attention, but the truth is that the UK remains the 6th biggest manufacturing nation on earth and Lancashire makes up a major part of that success. As somebody who has worked in manufacturing for most of their life, I need no persuading that manufacturing is vitally important to the prosperity of the nation. I was therefore pleased to see BIS launch its Going for Growth strategy last week which gives massive prominence to manufacturing, especially in the areas of advanced engineering, life sciences, low carbon and environmental technologies and digital. All of these are areas where Lancashire has great strengths and I look forward to seeing the county lead the way in generating the new jobs that these industries will inevitably bring.
https://ukti.blog.gov.uk/2010/01/12/1894/