UK manufacturing 'must adapt to win'
Businesses and government must adapt to ensure manufacturing continues to play a powerful role in the UK economy, or risk being left behind international competitors.
That's according to a new Foresight report published by the government this week, which suggests that the UK manufacturing sector is headed for a period of 'huge change' and potential volatility.
The report anticipates that advances in technologies such as sensors and 3D printing will 'digitise' manufacturing in the future, with production taking place closer to the customer.
The industry is also expected to move towards a more sustainable model, with companies becoming more efficient in their use of materials and energy to counter potential volatility in the price and availability of resources.
One of the biggest issues facing the industry is the lack of highly skilled workers. Unfortunately, this looks set to continue, with around 800,000 manufacturing roles to fill in the years up to 2020 as more people retire or move out of the sector.
The report urges government to build on existing initiatives, for example by scaling up funding for the High Value Manufacturing Catapult Centre, the UK's key technology and innovation body for manufacturing, to make it even more accessible to small businesses and to enhance the role it plays in connecting academic expertise to industry.
Philippa Oldham, head of transport and manufacturing at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), welcomed the proposals in the report on the whole, especially the government's commitment to open a new Office of Manufacturing.
This, she believes, could help provide much needed cross-party stability for the industry and also help commercialise the concepts and prototypes developed through research councils and the Technology Strategy Board.
Oldham continued: "UK manufacturing is already undergoing a process of revolution thanks to technologies like printable electronics, and there are set to be many more exciting developments in the future.
"But the report also highlights some challenges faced by the sector - most notably the need to fill about 800,000 jobs in the years to 2020, as people retire or leave manufacturing. What this report makes clear is that government, industry and education providers must work together to attract and train more UK engineers."
