Earlier this month I visited Ebac, a dehumidifier and water cooler manufacturer whose entrepreneurial management team plans to produce the first washing machines made in the UK for almost a decade. These will incorporate British-made components, and the metal for the cabinets and drums will be bashed at the company's Newton Aycliffe plant.
Ebac is just one example of an increasingly common, and encouraging, story – the return of manufacturing to our shores. Reshoring has the potential to create around 100,000 to 200,000 extra UK jobs over the next decade and boost annual national output by £6-12 billion, according to consultant PwC. Good news for the UK?economy and, in particular, for the manufacturing sector.
Ebac is based in the North East of England, a region ideally placed to become the powerhouse of the UK's reshoring revolution. The North East is already home to examples of world-class manufacturing – witness the Nissan car plant in Sunderland. On top of this, industrial giants such as Hitachi Rail Europe are placing their faith in the area.
Recognising the growing significance of the region to manufacturers and designers, Works Management's parent company, Findlay Media, is launching Manufacturing and Engineering North East (MENE), a new event designed to provide a platform for manufacturers and engineers to meet, learn, discuss design ideas and solve challenges (see page 34 of this issue, or visit www.menortheast.co.uk).
More than 10,000 manufacturing and design sites operate within 100 miles of Newcastle. As Findlay Media executive director Ed Tranter points out: "With its huge industrial base, the North East is the perfect place to host the show. We are looking forward to creating an event for manufacturers and engineers that is focused on their needs and their needs alone."
The UK has lost around 500,000 manufacturing jobs since the recession and unemployment is still relatively high so there is a pressing need to bring jobs back to Britain.
The North East is the region with the greatest opportunity to power this process and MENE is the best event to turbo-charge it.
