UK has quality edge on China, CRESC told

Innovative product design and skilled workforces gave British firms the edge, site managers told the University of London debate. "A well run plant here will do better than outsourcing," Chris Mulvihill of Kent based EMS Manufacturing told the Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural change think tank. He added: "As a customer you won't have too much of a view about where I make my goods but you will care about quality. The only way I can guarantee that is to staff that facility with my own people. All of the control and quality elements will be best satisfied by a first class UK operation. The comments came as academics debated whether subcontracting production to Asia like electronics giant Apple offered a definitive competitive advantage. The premise ignored the hidden costs associated with manufacture overseas, WM readers claimed. Logistical difficulties and soaring shipping costs were common pitfalls said a panel including Bruce Farrar of Halifax based Marshalls and Colin Boughton of Fujifilm.