FACE TO FACE
KMF Sheet Metal at the CBM Annual Dinner and Awards event this year .
The CBM stand at Smart Manufacturing & Engineering in Birmingham , UK , recently .
The automotive sector is central to our membership , but I feel that it has also ‘ put all its eggs in one basket ’ by stopping or slowing down internal combustion engine production too quickly , which dramatically reduced volumes across the UK and Europe . The high cost of EVs , no grants and lack of infrastructure in certain areas has resulted in a slowdown in EV production , which means a ‘ double whammy ’ for our members in the supply chain .
In the global marketplace , Putin and developments in China will also have an impact on trade developments . However , our members are resilient and are definitely more optimistic than pessimistic …..
ISMR : With the advent of a new Labour government , what are your hopes for much needed support that it could provide for manufacturing in the UK ?
SM : In the recent UK General Election , none of the big parties mentioned Brexit yet it is still the greatest frustration and cause of issues for our members . The previous Conservative government did not do a lot to support manufacturing . We needed ‘ a fresh broom ’ in government . The new Labour government is saying the right things to support manufacturing and seems prepared to move at pace . It remains to be seen what transpires .
I have met Rachel Reeves , the new Chancellor , but we have not rushed in and started bombarding MPs with emails . We want to take our time and put the case for our members cogently . We need an Industrial Strategy in the UK and have done for a while . The UK Apprenticeship Levy also needs to be reviewed and skills development training needs to be supported .
I want to see a revision on energy relief available , which would help some of our members ( particularly the larger forging companies ). The greatest challenge right now is the Workers Rights Bill that the UK ’ s Deputy Prime Minister , Angela Rayner , is currently reviewing .
On the Brexit challenge , the new Labour government has stated that it will try to improve our relationship with the EU . We definitely need a better trade deal and a Customs agreement for our manufacturers . It ’ s clear that we ’ ve failed to grasp the opportunities that Brexit could have brought and manufacturing has taken the brunt of the pain and associated costs .
ISMR : What , in your view , are important industry trends , challenges and areas of growth / opportunities ? How are you responding to these ?
SM : I have been working on reshoring . One of the biggest disappointments of Brexit , and this goes back to the pandemic , is that not enough companies have reshored back to the UK . In fact , some companies have even taken work out of the UK during that period . The previous Conservative government in
The Manufacturing Outlook Review 2024 event held by Crowe UK at CBM headquarters .
The CBM awards .
the UK failed to invest enough into renewable technologies such as onshore / offshore wind power and windfarms . Huge opportunities were lost and I hope that this will be reversed under the new government .
Overseas companies win contracts and then give work to companies outside the UK . This has happened on major infrastructure projects in the UK , with UK companies much lower down in the supply chain . I would like to see parts for windfarms , for example , manufactured in the UK with government incentives to encourage the use of UK suppliers . I am optimistic because , in the UK , we can make anything . However , we need a structure that supports UK manufacturing and incentivises people to stay here and keep the work here .
In terms of trends , EV ( electric vehicle ) technology is still growing ; battery life and the weight of the battery is still fundamentally an issue . Technology is continuously attempting to address this . The hydrogen market is also evolving . I see a need for more emphasis on technologies outside the EV sphere .
ISMR : What is your view of technologies such as Industry 4.0 , artificial intelligence , Big Data , VR etc . for your members and manufacturing in general ?
SM : Technologies such as AI ( artificial intelligence ) need to be treated in a more controlled and regulated manner . We have skills gaps and employee shortages so AI could be used to support manufacturing and fill some of the gaps , while still supporting jobs .
28 | ismr . net | ISMR September 2024