Manufacturers must unite for growth – Siemens report27 June 2012

New research from the automation, motors and drives specialist Siemens has revealed divided opinion within the manufacturing sector which it says could compromise the future growth of UK industry.

The report, Industry Pulse – Challenges and Outlook for Manufacturing, reveals a lack of consensus on the economic climate, the appetite to invest and on the need for greater government support for the sector.

Survey respondents placed UK industry just behind China and India when it comes to manufacturing innovation, but half (51%) of respondents do not think the UK is as advanced as it could be in industrial automation, and must invest more in the area.

Commenting on the findings, managing director at Siemens Industry UK Juergen Maier (pictured), said the lack of consensus was a cause for concern, as industry had a central role to play in helping to rebalance the economy. "In order to do this, we have to be joined up and agree on the priorities for achieving export-led growth," he continued.

"UK manufacturing placing itself in the top three globally for innovation shows the commitment and pride of UK manufacturers – which is great. There are strong levels of optimism too, especially among smaller firms and those in the domestic supply chain who we regularly partner with. However, there are some clear challenges to overcome so we can claim this leading position globally and use it to grow the sector.

"Two such areas for focus are investment in skills and manufacturing automation technologies, for which global statistics show us that we are not in third place just yet. For example, we invest nearly a third less than the German manufacturing sector in capital plant machinery and automation and our skills system is definitely still not efficient enough.

"We need to better understand that, as a sector, investment in modern and sustainable production technologies make an important contribution to energy savings and improved productivity – hence boosting a company's competitiveness and this is essential for the growth of our manufacturing sector supply chain."

Ken Hurst

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