More faith in British Manufacturing than the locals

'Made in Britain' is an epithet that was always the gold standard of manufacturing quality – and here's the good news, it still is. Contrary to the opinions of the doom and gloom mongers, Britain still has considerable manufacturing talent and the future is bright. Image: Trumpf UK's managing director, Hartmut Pannen, has more faith in British industry than some of the locals Of course, the manufacturing economy in this country has changed – significantly, but that doesn't mean that British manufacturing industry is the write-off that some company owners would have us believe. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. OK, many home-grown brands are now lost or internationalised, but British manufacturing still has the potential to be as great as it was in 'the good old days'. It's a question of changing tack. Take a look at Austria. It can't boast a string of world-famous engineering brands, but it does have one of the strongest automotive supply industries in the world. This is a country that has many manufacturing entrepreneurs who are driving excellence in production to a very high level. A great example is Magna Steyr, which describes itself as a brand-independent engineering and manufacturing partner to automakers. The UK should follow this model. Indeed, to some extent, it already does. Many of our subcontractors are truly world-class. They invest in new technology and some even lead the world in embracing new processes. We just need more of these pioneering souls. International OEMs also revere British manufacturing. Nissan, Caterpillar, Olympus – global brands that describe their UK plants as being flagship operations. Britain is still good at innovating and at high quality manufacturing, and now is the time for wavering business owners to capitalise on this. The latest report from the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) showed that, since January, industry outperformed both the public and private sectors, in terms of growth. It concludes that Euro competitiveness is a major stimulus. This advantage should attract both domestic and international investors in British manufacturing, in combination with other strengths. A key British asset is its language. Why is Britain a major financial centre and why do Asian companies continue to invest here? The answer is Britain is home to the international commercial language, English. British industry must play this card more and this is an area where the Government and media can help out. They can also correct the distorted view that London typifies Britain. As far as manufacturing is concerned, it doesn't. The Midlands and the North East, in particular, are highly competitive on the world manufacturing stage and this should be advertised to the rest of the world. And this brings me to my last point, the British understatement. While British people can see through this modesty, we foreigners take what we're told at face value. We don't read between the lines to find the considerable success and enthusiasm that lies beneath the self-effacing veneer. So, British manufacturers, please celebrate your achievements, inspire would-be customers and investors, be passionate about what you do and help Britain re-take its rightful place as a major player in world manufacturing. It's well within your grasp. First published in Machinery, August 2010