Editor's comment: July 2016

Well I wasn’t expecting that! Subconsciously before the EU Referendum I was anticipating a ‘remain’ vote. I should have taken more notice of our recent Twitter poll: 85% leave; 15% remain from 980 votes!

Well I wasn’t expecting that!

I’d have laid money on the EU Referendum culminating in a ‘remain’ vote. Not for the first time I was wrong. I should have taken more notice of our recent Twitter poll: 85% leave; 15% remain from 980 votes!

I’ll openly admit the remain box got my tick at the polling station and I’ll willingly divulge that one of the main reasons for doing so was that I was wary of the backlash that a Brexit vote would mean for UK manufacturing and the wider economy. That has now become a reality.

Why? Well, despite some real prosperity, manufacturing in the UK is still somewhat fragile. By that I mean that despite a remarkable resilience – a true epitome of British Bulldog spirit if ever there was one – it doesn’t take much to introduce nervousness into the industry.

Much of this is to do with the volatile nature of the world today; things change quickly and that can have a knock on effect. This isn’t helped in my opinion by the fact that UK governments don’t really ‘get it’. They don’t seem to fully understand just how much manufacturing could contribute to the overall economy if only it was truly valued. A lot of lip service is duly dished out.

So I get quite protective over our industry and the last thing I would want to introduce is more uncertainty – hence my vote. Of course there were other important factors from the Brexit camp to consider – many of them valid – but stability is important. Now we find ourselves sailing into unchartered territories.

However, we’re a democracy and the nation has spoken. The priority now is to protect the relationships we’ve established with EU countries and the wider world and develop new opportunities of our own. Good business relies on strong supply chains, effective communication and the efficient sharing of knowledge and information for the benefit of all concerned. We must make sure that relationships remain strong and fruitful.

The EU also provides a convenient resource for skilled people to work in our industries. Uncontrolled migration is something I’m dead against but we do have a serious skill shortage here in the UK. We must make sure that recruiting engineers from EU countries and beyond remains a viable option if necessary and we’re not bogged down in seas of red tape and legislation. It’s also an ideal opportunity to refocus on developing our own homegrown talent. We’re going to need skills whatever happens.

It may be rough for a while; it may be turbulent but we must allow time for the dust to settle. As Tony Hague, chairman of the Midlands Assembly Network stated: “This isn’t the time for knee jerk reactions and we need to assess how the new political and trading landscape is going to develop.

“There will undoubtedly be levels of uncertainty and, as manufacturers we have had to deal with this a lot in the last nine months. We will continue to be positive in our approach to winning new work with our partners both in the EU and across the rest of the world.”

The MTA had its roots firmly anchored in the remain camp, but CEO James Selka is philosophical: “The MTA took a position, based on the views of our members, of supporting the UK remaining within the EU. But now that the decision has been reached, we have to work hard to protect the future of the UK’s manufacturing technologies sector.

“Maintaining access to the single market is of paramount importance, something widely agreed on across the political spectrum. Great care must be taken during the negotiation process to protect manufacturing’s interests and we will be working hard in the UK and in Brussels for that outcome.”

Dave Tudor Editorial Director

Company

PES Media

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