6 | Aycliffe Today Business
LET’S HARNESS
OUR HUNGER TO
SPEND
The public’s desire to buy British goods
should be harnessed to create jobs and
wealth in the UK.
Figures on increased credit card
spending and a trade gap of more than
£5bn are a clear sign that UK companies
should produce more goods for the
domestic market.
The figures for November 2014 show
that the UK is a net importer, with the
difference between imports and exports
standing at £5.2bn.
The fact that spending on credit cards in
the three months to Christmas was at
its highest level since 2007 with banks
,
and building societies predicting another
rise in early 2015, shows the public’s
appetite to spend is on the increase.
In terms of the economy, it is misguided
to buy cheap from abroad, because we
pay twice for the labour – once for the
people who actually make the items
abroad, and again in benefits payments
to those who could be doing the job
here.
Here at Ebac, we have seen a real
appetite for domestically manufactured
goods, with the re-launch of the Norfrost
freezer range and the demand for UKmade washing machines, which will
soon be coming off our production lines.
The UK, particularly areas such as
the North East, where we are based,
was once known as a manufacturing
powerhouse. We have the people, and
we have the knowhow, to make things
again; products which are as good as
any on the market.
Pamela Petty
Managing Director, Ebac
Newton Aycliffe’s only B2B
publication, with advertising from
just £75.00 a month.
Call 01325 728024 or
email martin@aycliffetoday.co.uk
UNI
LAUNCHES
‘DNA’
SCHEME FOR
AYCLIFFE
BUSINESS
Mark Donnelly
The University of Sunderland has created a new scheme designed specifically
to offer firms on Aycliffe Business Park a free graduate scheme.
The Uni’s Business Development Manager,
Mark Donnelly, outlined details of the
programme, dubbed Development in Newton
Aycliffe (DNA), at Aycliffe Business Park’s
latest news and networking meeting.
And no less than 16 interns have been
taken on as part of the scheme, including
Ryan Burton for Aycliffe Today!
Mark told Aycliffe Today: “We’re creating
a scheme specifically for businesses on
Aycliffe Business Park, because we want to
understand the DNA of the companies that
are here.
“We want to create connections with
small businesses, medium-sized businesses
and large ones.
“We’re looking for companies to give us
project ideas for recent graduates as well as
interns to come in from January and work
for about three months on projects that
companies want to take forward.
“The projects can span a range of skill
sets, from journalism, media or design to
English or History.
“We’re looking for great ideas from
companies and we’ll match them with
graduates.
”
The University of Sunderland – which is
heading up the University Technical College
(UTC) plans for the park along with Hitachi
and Gestamp Tallent – announced plans to
build relationships with Aycliffe businesses in
an exclusive Aycliffe Today Business feature
earlier in the summer.
And Aycliffe Today were one of the first
businesses to work with the University,
enlisting the help of student journalist Zoe
Skerrett during a highly-successful monthlong internship programme.
Mr Donnelly added: “We’re looking to
set up these internships and create great
relationships and help businesses in Aycliffe
to access young talent.
“Aycliffe Business Park is important to the
University, and this is a marker I think that
we’re looking to have a presence here.
”
Journalism graduate Ryan Burton,
meanwhile, is working for Aycliffe Today
through to around March time as part of the
DNA programme.
For more information about future
internship programmes, you can email
mark.donnelly@sunderland.ac.uk
MANUFACTURING FIRMS
'BOUNCING BACK'
Manufacturers have shrugged off signs of
a slowdown in UK growth to report healthier
domestic and export orders at the end of
2014.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC)
said its quarterly economic survey showed
businesses were well placed to grow this
year, although it warned this might not last
if "political point scoring" dominated the
election campaign.
John Longworth, BCC director general,
said it was pleasing to see the manufacturing
sector bounce back.
The balance of industrial firms reporting
an increase in domestic sales rose to plus
36% from 23% in the previous quarter, with
the domestic orders balance up to 38% and
export sales up by ten percentage points to
plus-26%.
In the services sector, domestic and export
sales balances rose in the quarter after
stagnating over the previous three months.
The survey also found an all-time high
number of businesses set out to recruit
staff in the period, with the balance of
manufacturing firms operating at full capacity
up by one point to plus 41 per cent and the
figure for service firms in line with the third
quarter at plus 46 per cent.
The BCC said the latest results supported
its view that annual UK growth would
stabilise above 2%.
However, Mr Longworth added: "The
UK's economic recovery still faces several
obstacles, intensified by the uncertainty of
the upcoming general election.
"Businesses are bouncing back, but their
optimism may not last if political point
scoring outweighs sound economic policies."