The company has clearly found a way of making a commercial case for buying its products, rather than a ‘Buying British’ mentality driven by a combination of civic duty and a perception of quality (often misplaced). But the battleground has shifted in this respect, and John Pearce, CEO of Made in Britain commented: “Being part of the community of manufacturers, our members are declaring a long-term commitment to skills, sustainability and the people they employ.”
In fact there are in the region of 500 British manufacturers (not including Ebac as yet, incidentally) in this Made in Britain community and if each one is making that commitment to skills, sustainability and jobs, then it goes some way to explaining why the British economy seems to be quite resilient at the moment. It also possibly explains the success of the Engineering Design Show, held later this month in Coventry, which provides the critical meeting point for this community. If there is to be real organic growth, and not just some isolated flag-waving, British industry needs to build on its skills and share them. It needs cross-pollination of ideas and a knowledge base that is there for all to pull on. Lofty ideals perhaps, but the Engineering Design Show aims to fulfil those needs and, judging by feedback and attendance levels, it appears to be achieving these goals – each year surpassing the last. Hopefully that trend will continue in 2015 – the conference and workshop programmes, the innovation zones and the exhibition are all, after all, made in Britain.
