As the manufacturing sector rebounds from the pandemic, how can businesses adapt to overcome the lingering challenges of 2020-1 and embrace the opportunities that await?

With the country now emerging from the pandemic, manufacturing businesses are anticipating a healthier, more productive future. However, other factors, such as fallout from Brexit – have yet to fully subside, with a shortage in the supply of labour threatening to place a ceiling on recovery and growth.

So, what’s the current picture facing manufacturing SMEs in the UK?

The price of gas and oil has always been a bone of contention, particularly when global fluctuations are reflected in everyday business costs, such as the soaring price at the pump or rising energy bills.

More than any other industrial sector, manufacturing depends on efficient supply chains. Previously, raw materials were transformed into finished products on a single site; however, globalisation has increased the availability of components, helping to suppress costs and increasing the selection of bespoke goods for customers.

Shortly after Christmas 2021, the CBI warned that many UK businesses are facing up to two years of labour shortages, with the manufacturing sector particularly hard hit. It’s a situation that’s not restricted to the UK – similar problems exist in the United States and Germany, for instance – but for a country that is globally recognised as a leader in the field, with strong export sales, a skilled labour shortage in manufacturing has major implications for supply chains and the economy.

In 1771, the village of Cromford, Shropshire was propelled into the history books after Richard Arkwright chose it to host the world’s first water-driven spinning factory - a decision that would forever associate Cromford as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.

In August 2021, John Penrose, MP  for Weston-Super-Mare, backed the Institute for Prosperity’s 10-point plan for the revival of the UK’s manufacturing industry after Covid and Brexit, citing the ‘big, structural changes to our education system, our economy, and our society’ that are needed to reverse ‘the long, low decline of British manufacturing’.

At Hone-All, we’re passionate about the health and potency of the UK’s manufacturing sector, recognising it’s strong capacity for growth and success in a challenging global marketplace.

Our Director, Andrea Wilson, is a strong advocate for the appointment of a national Commissioner for Manufacturing, so that a dedicated official can assume responsibility for promoting and representing the sector’s interests, across Government departments and overseas in international trade deals.

However, appointing the right person to this post is crucial. So, what attributes should a Manufacturing Commissioner offer?

Public concerns about the state of the environment have soared in recent years and, at Hone-All, we recognise that we have a role to play in protecting the Earth in any way we can.

Nearly one-quarter of carbon emissions are produced by manufacturing businesses worldwide and, while the CO2 emissions in the UK have fallen by 10% in the past year, there’s clearly a long way to go.

The UK has a proud history of producing some of the best quality defence equipment in the world, from fighter aircraft to missiles and machine guns. As one of the most dynamic manufacturing industries, which, together with aerospace, accounts for over £12 billion in output, the defence sector is well-positioned to support the UK economy as it rebounds from the slump caused by the global pandemic.