Editor’s comment for September 2019

Image: MTC
Image: MTC

With Brexit negotiations going basically nowhere – apart from the fact that according to PM Boris Johnson, we’re definitely leaving the EU on 29th October deal or no deal – these latest stats from the SME Barometer from SWMAS/Economic Growth Solutions aren’t really that surprising.

With Brexit negotiations going basically nowhere – apart from the fact that according to PM Boris Johnson, we’re definitely leaving the EU on 31st October deal or no deal – these latest stats from the SME Barometer from SWMAS/Economic Growth Solutions aren’t really that surprising.


The survey comprises data from around 1,000 manufacturing companies so it’s a decent representation. Respondents were a cross-section of business owners, managers, directors and other senior decision makers.

To be honest, the findings aren’t particularly indicative of my perceptions of what’s going on out there. In this job you get to speak to a lot of people but you always have to temper that against the fact that manufacturing is a very broad world and covers baked beans as much as it does turbine blades.

My general impressions at the coal face – and I accept that this could well be skewed – is that businesses are doing OK. Not as good as last year perhaps but we all know that growth is notoriously cyclical and much as we’d like to – you can’t keep growing. When the sun shines and all that.

But the problems outlined in the survey are pretty much spot on. I’m no clearer on the real implications of whatever flavour of Brexit we end up with – and neither is anyone else for that matter despite what they may say – but there’s no doubt that the uncertainty is biting hard.

Dave Tudor, editor of PES

What will happen with tariffs and borders? Will we be able to get medicines? Will food prices go up? How will whatever immigration rules we end up with affect the labour market? The truth is we simply don’t know. What we do know however is that we can’t even get this ‘initial’ deal over the line. I understand this is the easy bit. The real nitty gritty stuff starts later. Truthfully, I wouldn’t trust our politicians to run a bath at the moment.

The other important element to the survey is the skills crisis. There’s real efforts being made to encourage young people into engineering and manufacturing and there are some notable successes – the AMRC and Renishaw spring to mind – but it’s simply not enough.

Good engineers are valued by their current employers and paid accordingly no doubt so in many cases, they’re going nowhere. That means it’s getting harder and harder to find the right skills so desperately needed by our industry.

The positive here is that companies are upskilling and developing from within. The survey reflects this: nearly 70% are reporting that they will be deploying strategies to support the development of their existing workforces.

There’s something really organic about developing your own people and seeing them grow and blossom. All businesses are different and by looking inwardly for talent, you can nurture exactly the skills you need.

OK, this survey isn’t all sweetness and light but it shows that companies are being pragmatic in these turbulent times. It’s what we do.

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