Consortium advises UK government to focus of small manufacturers

The UK government has been urged by a consortium to support smaller manufacturers (SMEs) if it wants to become a global powerhouse.

The consortium is led by Autodesk, and is made up of some of the UKs largest establishments, includes Lloyds Bank, Simon Kucher & Partners, MHA, and The Manufacturer.

The group also comprises of education centres and universities, such as Liverpool City Region LEP and Manchester Metropolitan University.

The consortium is backing Autodesk’s manifesto dubbed ‘Enabling the Art of the Impossible: How Britain can lead the 4th Industrial Revolution’.

“If British manufacturers are to rival those in countries such as China and India, there needs to be a fundamental shift in the industry,” reported Asif Moghal, Senior Manager of Manufacturing Industry at Autodesk.

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“We feel the MSR and ISWP are great steps towards achieving this; however, a number of areas within it would benefit from further refinement.”

“Manufacturing is firmly in the national spotlight, finally. A beacon of good news in a pretty gloomy economic backdrop,” commented Henry Anson, Managing Director of The Manufacturer.

“Made Smarter, the Industrial Strategy and the increasing clamour about the UK’s relatively low productivity levels are all on the national agenda.”

“This debate is vital, but doesn’t go far enough and address the issues that are preventing manufacturers, particularly SME’s, from designing and innovating more quickly, bringing their product to market faster and gaining a sustainable competitive advantage.”