Support 100 years of independent journalism.

  1. Spotlight
6 May 2016

Manufacturing moves on

Any discussion of manufacturing in the UK at the moment is a conversation about extremes. On the one hand, the steel industry is in crisis following Tata Steel’s decision to sell or abandon its operations in this country. The shadow business secretary, Angela Eagle, makes the point eloquently in this publication: stuff has to happen and it has to happen quickly.

By Guy Clapperton

Any discussion of manufacturing in the UK at the moment is a conversation about extremes. On the one hand, the steel industry is in crisis following Tata Steel’s decision to sell or abandon its operations in this country. The shadow business secretary, Angela Eagle, makes the point eloquently in this publication: stuff has to happen and it has to happen quickly.

The other side of the debate is that we’re doing rather well in the field of innovation. It’s now a few months since the New Statesman published its last supplement on manufacturing, and the subject has moved on apace. This time we are publishing articles on manufacturing and the internet, the so-called Internet of Things and, significantly, 3D printing (also known as “additive manufacturing”). The sheer speed at which these technologies are making an impact is breathtaking; even earlier this decade, the suggestion that someone could print out a car would have been greeted with scepticism. It’s now happening.

Such drastic change brings with it midterm as well as short-term issues. People have been talking about skills gaps and about younger people not having what it takes to enter the workplace probably since the introduction of the sewing machine, but there is now a 20 per cent shortfall in recruitment into the IT industry, according to the worldwide training and accreditation body CompTIA. This would not have been an issue for manufacturing in the past but IT is now a major component. The infographic opposite, extracted from a larger one supplied by the manufacturers’ association EEF, has some telling figures: 60 per cent of manufacturers believe digital technology will improve their business; 62 per cent plan to spend more on internet-connected equipment (this is the Internet of Things at work again) because they want their processes to work by themselves.

The suggestion, echoed by EEF in its article on page 20, is that we are on the cusp of a new industrial revolution and the UK is positioned to be at its head.

The state of the British steel industry in the present and the skills gap moving into the future are unhelpful if this potential is to be realised. The hope is that both government and the private sector will work to resolve them over time.

Select and enter your email address Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. The New Statesman’s global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. Your new guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture each weekend - from the New Statesman. A weekly newsletter helping you fit together the pieces of the global economic slowdown. A newsletter showcasing the finest writing from the ideas section, covering political ideas, philosophy, criticism and intellectual history - sent every Wednesday. The New Statesman’s weekly environment email on the politics, business and culture of the climate and nature crises - in your inbox every Thursday. Sign up to receive information regarding NS events, subscription offers & product updates.
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much time left. The rewards, if these obstacles can be overcome, are considerable.

Topics in this article :