Make it in Great Britain champions put out call for support

This perception, they say, is "an outdated view that restricts investment, finance and recruitment, to one of our economy's most vital sectors". The champions add that manufacturing industry has undergone a transformation over the last 60 years, but the views held by young people, the general public, potential investors and customers do not reflect the reality. "We're calling on the media to help us to dispel these misconceptions, by backing Make it in Great Britain." Launched earlier this year, the campaign will culminate in the 'Make it in Great Britain' exhibition of cutting-edge British manufacturing at the Science Museum, to coincide with the Olympic (27 July-12 Aug) and Paralympic Games (29 Aug-9 Sept). The campaign will also feature the 'Make it in Great Britain Challenge', a national Challengecompetition to find the most innovative British pre-market products, processes and concepts that will be featured as part of the Make it in Great Britain exhibition. Industry champions are drawn from the sector and lend their support to the campaign. So far there are 30 industry champions. The various individuals are calling on the media to visit their companies to help dispel the commonly held manufacturing perceptions - "We are opening our doors to the UK media to come and visit our manufacturing centres to see firsthand how dynamic and innovative UK manufacturing really is." And the group adds: "As individuals proud to be working in this sector, we know that the poor image of manufacturing affects business decisions to invest and banks' decisions to finance. On the recruitment side, we often struggle to find the talented people needed to take the industry forward. That's why we're standing together to shine a light on the industry that is worth approximately £130 billion a year and employs 2.5 million people; and that's why we've called on young talent to put forward their most innovative ideas as part of our recently launched Challenge." You can follow the Make it in Great Britain campaign on Twitter - @makeitingreatbritain. Visit the Make it in Great Britain website. Industry Champions Alex Burns, Chief Executive Officer, Williams Grand Prix Holdings Andrew Sims, Director, Cooney Marine International Brian Stone, Body Construction Manager, Jaguar Land Rover Colin Smith, Director of Engineering and Technology, Rolls-Royce David Hewitt, Operations Director, Lotus Cars Dick Searle, Chief Executive, The Packaging Federation Emma Bridgewater, Chairman and Founder, Emma Bridgewater Ian McCubbin, SVP, Supply Chain, GMS, GlaxoSmithKline Joe Greenwell, Chairman, Ford of Britain John Campton, Key Accounts Manager, Premier Group Jonathan Short, Managing Director, ECO Plastics Juergen Maier, Managing Director, Industry Sector, Siemens Industry Sector UK & Ireland Kate Edwards, Director, J8 Precision Liz Forthergill, Chief Executive, Pennine Healthcare Mark Barclay, Senior Vice President, Airbus in the UK Mark Cropper, Chairman, James Cropper plc Michael Ankers OBE, Chief Executive, Construction Products Association Michael Ryan, Vice President and General Manager, Bombardier Aerospace Nigel Stuart, Managing Director, Discovery Yachts Nigel Whitehead, Group Managing Director, BAE Systems Paul Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, Dynex Semiconductor Rob Kemp, MD, Kemp Sails Stephen Blatchford, CEO, Chas A Blatchford & Sons Steve Eastham, Vice President of Operations, Tata Global Beverages Stephen Uden, Head of Skills & Economic Affairs, Microsoft Tom Crotty, Group Director, Ineos Trevor Mann, Senior Vice-President for manufacturing in Europe, Nissan Will Butler-Adams, Managing Director, Brompton Bicycle