Home Latest Investment in technology will help manufacturing bounce back, says business leader

Investment in technology will help manufacturing bounce back, says business leader

0
Investment in technology will help manufacturing bounce back, says business leader

[ad_1]

THE UK’s manufacturing sector must invest in technology to enable it to bounce back after the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Yorkshire businesswoman.

Sunday, 26th July 2020, 2:52 pm

Updated Sunday, 26th July 2020, 2:58 pm
Emma Robinson, founder of Red Diamond Executive Headhunter

Emma Robinson, founder of Red Diamond Executive Headhunters, warned that manufacturers may struggle without an investment in innovation despite an anticipated backlash against cheap imports from the Far East.

Red Diamond specialises in placing candidates in executive positions with global companies, including a number of major manufacturers.

Sign up to our daily newsletter

The i newsletter cut through the noise

Ms Robinson said the UK had much to offer in the way of expertise in many sectors, including food production, construction materials and textiles. However, there were lessons to be learned in other areas, such as technology and automation.

While she welcomed initiatives such as the job retention bonus and Kickstart scheme to support young workers, announced in Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s recent Summer Statement, it was vital to attract the best talent and technology into the manufacturing sector.

She said: “Our manufacturing industry has had a torrid time of late. First there was the credit crunch, then Brexit and its accompanying uncertainty and now coronavirus. But while confidence might have been shaken, capability – and the appetite for success – remain strong.

“British manufacturing has always been associated with high quality both in terms of design and production. Excellence is a commodity that it’s difficult to put a price on. We should be proud of our manufacturing heritage and, while it’s fair to say it has faced challenging times of late, change is just around the corner.

“That’s not to say that areas don’t exist where we could do better. There are lessons to be learned in areas such as innovation and supply chain management. Now is the time to invest in the right technologies to enable us to keep pace with the rest of the world.”

Ms Robinson also anticipated a backlash against inferior products manufactured in the Far East, which would bring renewed demand for British-made products.

She added: “We speak to many business leaders who are now seriously considering historical actions and the repercussions of sending manufacturing overseas,” she added.

“A once opportune, cheaper, quicker way of working may, post-Brexit, prove to be an expensive, poor quality, logistical and administrative nightmare.

“This is the ideal time to invest in innovation and in strong leadership. That may entail bringing in talent from overseas to teach us how to innovate in other sectors, to enable us to learn from other nations and to encourage back lost talent.

“Having the right leadership team in place is incredibly important, these are uncertain times and we all need a leader who is capable of rebuilding and creating new revenue growth streams.”

Editor’s note: first and foremost – and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity – I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists – almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses – who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing subscriptions@jpimedia.co.uk. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets – our newsagents need you, too – can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

[ad_2]

Source link

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here