Sunday 12 December 2010
Thursday 15 July 2010
ITV Made In Britain
Are we now beginning to wake up from a long sleep?
I screamed with delight as I watched the ITV Panorama program.
For most of my life I have watched my highly skilled friends and some great manufacturing and Engineering companies relegated to the scrap heap. We are beginning to talk about the importance of Manufacturing as a means to reduce our huge deficit. Is this the end of the beginning?
The only negative: Digby Jones (a man I respect for supporting manufacturing) said that it did not matter who owned British Companies as long as they are here.
But that is the whole point, they don't always remain here! Cadbury and Kraft come to mind.
We need more British manufacturing created by our own talented people.
Laws should be made to prevent takeovers that are not in Britain's interest and where it has a negative impact on our communities. We must also acknowledge engineering talent the same way as we do for financial services. Engineering, Manufacturing and Technology must become COOL again!
I screamed with delight as I watched the ITV Panorama program.
For most of my life I have watched my highly skilled friends and some great manufacturing and Engineering companies relegated to the scrap heap. We are beginning to talk about the importance of Manufacturing as a means to reduce our huge deficit. Is this the end of the beginning?
The only negative: Digby Jones (a man I respect for supporting manufacturing) said that it did not matter who owned British Companies as long as they are here.
But that is the whole point, they don't always remain here! Cadbury and Kraft come to mind.
We need more British manufacturing created by our own talented people.
Laws should be made to prevent takeovers that are not in Britain's interest and where it has a negative impact on our communities. We must also acknowledge engineering talent the same way as we do for financial services. Engineering, Manufacturing and Technology must become COOL again!
Sunday 20 June 2010
She loves me she loves me not!
Sheffield Forge Masters were promised an £8Million loan to invest in their business.
This would have secured their position as a major UK manufacture in their specialised field and prevent even more manufacturing jobs leaving our shores.
This loan offer has now been withdrawn and no doubt will have put the companies future in question.
For Gods sake what on earth are we doing!
Are we trying to finish off the last remaining remnants of a once great industrial country or send that old familiar signal out to our manufacturers that we still love our relationship with the financial markets in preference to manufacturing.
Well i think this government needs to make its mind up what they want us to do because we cannot keep on going with these mixed messages.
We have given, yes given millions of pounds bailing out banks that have behaved like Bookmakers. Gambling our money with fatal consequence. We are all now paying the price for this addiction. We now need to look at the plain truth, that money and wealth must be worked for and there is no such thing as a free ride.
A Farmer buys seed sows his crop and harvests his hard work. He now has a crop that has more value than the seed that he sells to make a profit. All manufacturers do the same. Its harder than moving money from one place to another and making a fortune but it is honest, sound and safe. Ask the Germans and the Chinese they have been doing it for years and thriving.
This Government must wake up, smell the coffee and invest (not give) in Manufacturing before we loose everything.
This would have secured their position as a major UK manufacture in their specialised field and prevent even more manufacturing jobs leaving our shores.
This loan offer has now been withdrawn and no doubt will have put the companies future in question.
For Gods sake what on earth are we doing!
Are we trying to finish off the last remaining remnants of a once great industrial country or send that old familiar signal out to our manufacturers that we still love our relationship with the financial markets in preference to manufacturing.
Well i think this government needs to make its mind up what they want us to do because we cannot keep on going with these mixed messages.
We have given, yes given millions of pounds bailing out banks that have behaved like Bookmakers. Gambling our money with fatal consequence. We are all now paying the price for this addiction. We now need to look at the plain truth, that money and wealth must be worked for and there is no such thing as a free ride.
A Farmer buys seed sows his crop and harvests his hard work. He now has a crop that has more value than the seed that he sells to make a profit. All manufacturers do the same. Its harder than moving money from one place to another and making a fortune but it is honest, sound and safe. Ask the Germans and the Chinese they have been doing it for years and thriving.
This Government must wake up, smell the coffee and invest (not give) in Manufacturing before we loose everything.
Saturday 1 May 2010
The way forward is clear, add value and sell it!
The reason we are slower to come out of recession is our over dependence on the financial sector and lack of investment in manufacturing.
France and Germany may have been less hard hit than the UK by the global economic slowdown because their financial sectors, which were at the heart of the crisis, account for a smaller proportion of their economies." France and Germany exit recession, BBC News, Thursday, 13 August 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8198766.stm
^ Prospect magazine supplement, http://www.scribd.com/doc/10966581/UK-Manufacturing-Prospect-Magazine-2009. "The credit crunch has exposed our over dependence on the financial sector", The Return of Manufacturing, Michael Prest, UK Manufacturing Prospect magazine 2009, p. 4
^ How Margaret Thatcher made Britain great again, Andrew Roberts, The First Post, http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/46612,news-comment,news-politics,how-margaret-thatcher-made-britain-great-again-andrew-roberts, "She changed British reliance on manufacturing industry just in time"
We should be talking less about cuts and more about wealth creation through adding value and exporting our products and services.
We should not export our knowledge but our products!
France and Germany may have been less hard hit than the UK by the global economic slowdown because their financial sectors, which were at the heart of the crisis, account for a smaller proportion of their economies." France and Germany exit recession, BBC News, Thursday, 13 August 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8198766.stm
^ Prospect magazine supplement, http://www.scribd.com/doc/10966581/UK-Manufacturing-Prospect-Magazine-2009. "The credit crunch has exposed our over dependence on the financial sector", The Return of Manufacturing, Michael Prest, UK Manufacturing Prospect magazine 2009, p. 4
^ How Margaret Thatcher made Britain great again, Andrew Roberts, The First Post, http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/46612,news-comment,news-politics,how-margaret-thatcher-made-britain-great-again-andrew-roberts, "She changed British reliance on manufacturing industry just in time"
We should be talking less about cuts and more about wealth creation through adding value and exporting our products and services.
We should not export our knowledge but our products!
Tuesday 27 April 2010
Tuesday 20 April 2010
What Party Supports Manufacturing?
The elections are fast approaching and all the parties are telling us what they will do if we vote for them. I would like to know what party will support manufacturing but sadly I don't see any of them saying that manufacturing is important. If they mention manufacturing they often show there profound ignorance on the subject.
Back in the sixties when I started my engineering career most engineering and manufacturing business where run my people with engineering backgrounds.
We gradual saw a change, chief executives no longer were coming from engineering backgrounds. We now had our leaders coming from banks and the financial world. We watched as long term investments dried up and immediate short term profits were the order of the day. One by one, drip by drip companies failed, the gradual loss of many decades of highly skilled people were resigned to the scrap heap. Our companies were either sold or allowed to wither through lack of investment.
We once had some of the best engineering talent in the world but soon we will not even be able to produce a bar of chocolate.
Speak to any university about technology, engineering and creating added value. It will make you weep at the lack of funding available to educate our young people.
Once again we see the banks and financial services developing their short term polices based on greed and self interest. They neither make anything or add any value other than move money around in a big circle. Not unlike Pyramid Selling and we all know that making money in this way always eventually leads to collapse. Business that add value through making products, processing raw materials, growing food add real value to our economy. Instead of cutting our vital services like hospitals, education, armed forces and social care we could be spending more on their improvements and not to mention the increase in providing real satisfying jobs.
Next time a politician seeks your vote ask him or her what they are doing to readdress our loss in manufacturing, engineering and technology.
Change will only come if you ask for it!
Back in the sixties when I started my engineering career most engineering and manufacturing business where run my people with engineering backgrounds.
We gradual saw a change, chief executives no longer were coming from engineering backgrounds. We now had our leaders coming from banks and the financial world. We watched as long term investments dried up and immediate short term profits were the order of the day. One by one, drip by drip companies failed, the gradual loss of many decades of highly skilled people were resigned to the scrap heap. Our companies were either sold or allowed to wither through lack of investment.
We once had some of the best engineering talent in the world but soon we will not even be able to produce a bar of chocolate.
Speak to any university about technology, engineering and creating added value. It will make you weep at the lack of funding available to educate our young people.
Once again we see the banks and financial services developing their short term polices based on greed and self interest. They neither make anything or add any value other than move money around in a big circle. Not unlike Pyramid Selling and we all know that making money in this way always eventually leads to collapse. Business that add value through making products, processing raw materials, growing food add real value to our economy. Instead of cutting our vital services like hospitals, education, armed forces and social care we could be spending more on their improvements and not to mention the increase in providing real satisfying jobs.
Next time a politician seeks your vote ask him or her what they are doing to readdress our loss in manufacturing, engineering and technology.
Change will only come if you ask for it!
Friday 19 March 2010
Wednesday 17 March 2010
Wednesday 10 March 2010
Monday 22 February 2010
Wednesday 17 February 2010
150 years of Steel Making
After 150 years, is this the end of steel making in this country?
Corus will be moth balled with the loss of 1600 jobs and once again the Teeside company's future lies in the balance.
I have already experienced some difficulty in buying some types of steel from suppliers and have been told that overseas manufactures give priority to larger consumers of steel like China and in some cases it is hardly worth bothering with the UK.
As long as the UK can purchase cheap products from abroad most people will have little worries about where steel comes from. But if the political climate changes, if overseas suppliers become less cooperative, if any form of sanctions are applied to the UK then we will have very serious difficulties. Setting up new steel plants and finding the skills to operate them will take a long time and will be extremely difficult if not impossible.
Steel is vital to manufacturing, many services and our defence systems; the navy no longer use wooden ships!
Given the choice of pumping billions of pounds into our banks or securing our steel making ability I think its a no brainer!
Our government needs to wake up, smell the coffee, steel is vital to our future prosperity and safety.
Corus will be moth balled with the loss of 1600 jobs and once again the Teeside company's future lies in the balance.
I have already experienced some difficulty in buying some types of steel from suppliers and have been told that overseas manufactures give priority to larger consumers of steel like China and in some cases it is hardly worth bothering with the UK.
As long as the UK can purchase cheap products from abroad most people will have little worries about where steel comes from. But if the political climate changes, if overseas suppliers become less cooperative, if any form of sanctions are applied to the UK then we will have very serious difficulties. Setting up new steel plants and finding the skills to operate them will take a long time and will be extremely difficult if not impossible.
Steel is vital to manufacturing, many services and our defence systems; the navy no longer use wooden ships!
Given the choice of pumping billions of pounds into our banks or securing our steel making ability I think its a no brainer!
Our government needs to wake up, smell the coffee, steel is vital to our future prosperity and safety.
Thursday 11 February 2010
Selling our Inheritance
Now Cadbury has been sold to Kraft the inevitable job losses have happened.
Sadly,gone are those times when company owners put the welfare of their workers first. I am not saying that owners should not sell their business but when a business has grown to the point when it becomes part of the fabric of a community, it is vital to protect the community, workers, patents and processes that can be lost forever.
If any company endangered its workforce through dangerous practices or damaged the environment, the might of the law would come done hard on its owners.
But if a major company supporting a community is sold with potential devastating effect, the top management walk away rich whilst the workers and the community suffer, families often destroyed, businesses collapse, services diminished. This in my view is just as bad as breaching health and Safety laws or polluting a river.
It just should not be allowed to happen!
Sadly,gone are those times when company owners put the welfare of their workers first. I am not saying that owners should not sell their business but when a business has grown to the point when it becomes part of the fabric of a community, it is vital to protect the community, workers, patents and processes that can be lost forever.
If any company endangered its workforce through dangerous practices or damaged the environment, the might of the law would come done hard on its owners.
But if a major company supporting a community is sold with potential devastating effect, the top management walk away rich whilst the workers and the community suffer, families often destroyed, businesses collapse, services diminished. This in my view is just as bad as breaching health and Safety laws or polluting a river.
It just should not be allowed to happen!
Wednesday 10 February 2010
Friday 5 February 2010
Monday 25 January 2010
Manufacturing being lost to foreign buyers
We have now seen one of our most historic manufactures being sold to a foreign buyer.
Should we worry or is this just another casualty of globalisation.
Cadburys could no longer resist the multi billion pound offer from Kraft. Like Kraft Slices we watch as slice by slice our valued UK companies disappear from our market place.
For short term gain we loose valuable jobs, skills and know how.
It is a known fact that take-overs are rarely beneficial to anyone and often great companies are eventually ruined.
There is also the human cost to these actions. Besides the obvious loss of jobs, local business suffer, communities are strained and places can lose their identity.
Cadbury was built on the concept of caring for the community. They built homes for their workers and had a great sense of social responsibility.
Companies are all about people, those who work on the production line to those who run the company and are in the position of power. Each have their responsibilities. The line worker should be conscientious give a good days work with enthusiasm. The people who run the company should strive to make it profitable, be caring and responsible to their workers, customers and community.
Profit is not everything.
Should we worry or is this just another casualty of globalisation.
Cadburys could no longer resist the multi billion pound offer from Kraft. Like Kraft Slices we watch as slice by slice our valued UK companies disappear from our market place.
For short term gain we loose valuable jobs, skills and know how.
It is a known fact that take-overs are rarely beneficial to anyone and often great companies are eventually ruined.
There is also the human cost to these actions. Besides the obvious loss of jobs, local business suffer, communities are strained and places can lose their identity.
Cadbury was built on the concept of caring for the community. They built homes for their workers and had a great sense of social responsibility.
Companies are all about people, those who work on the production line to those who run the company and are in the position of power. Each have their responsibilities. The line worker should be conscientious give a good days work with enthusiasm. The people who run the company should strive to make it profitable, be caring and responsible to their workers, customers and community.
Profit is not everything.
Sunday 24 January 2010
BBC says,manufacturing is returning to UK
The BBC morning news are doing a small piece about manufacturing in the UK. Today they talked about companies who are bringing their manufacturing back to the UK.
Some reasons included, security of their IPR, better control and lower cost.
Digby Jones said that manufacturing is 12 percent of our GDP which is more than financial services. What we don't consider is the other benefits including, jobs for all levels of talent, giving young people a chance to work and more money to support our social services.
Well done BBC, lets have more support for UK manufacturing.
Some reasons included, security of their IPR, better control and lower cost.
Digby Jones said that manufacturing is 12 percent of our GDP which is more than financial services. What we don't consider is the other benefits including, jobs for all levels of talent, giving young people a chance to work and more money to support our social services.
Well done BBC, lets have more support for UK manufacturing.
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