12th November 2009 Tower Hotel, London Stephen Radley – Chief Economist, EEF
Allan Cook – CEO, Cobham plc
“In a climate where there has been so much uncertainty around the economy it is important that business can gain access to a clear view of what developments there have been and are likely to be. In addition I value events like this because they are interactive- I get to hear what manufacturers are thinking and learn about their experiences.
“I have been in this industry a long time now and, without sounding too sycophantic!- I have a genuine passion for it. Aerospace and defence is foremost for me of course but the industry as a whole has given a lot to me and I see events like this as my opportunity to give something back.
Over the past year there has been an understandable trend in business to focus on day to day survival. However I think the most important message I could give at the moment is that it is now necessary to look to the future. Despite the problems raised by the recession the last 5 years have shown many positive signs for manufacturing and I would like to contrast the immediate, difficult environment with the more up-beat prospects of the medium term future and show the various areas in which new opportunities are appearing for manufacturers- for instance opportunity to adapt intelligently to climate change- not just cope with it and the many opportunities in new markets available in China and Asia.”
Pierfancesco Manenti – EMEA Research Director, IDC Manufacturing Insight “The majority of manufacturers have a lot of questions at the moment- largely focusing on ‘how do we prepare for what comes next?’- This is an extremely hard question to answer but, undoubtedly the best way to approach the problem is to gather together- hear research, hear case studies, discuss the challenges. During the economic crisis many companies have become inward looking and have focused on internal improvements that can be made in order to survive in the short term. This is understandable but companies really need to start looking out as well, to compare their position with others. The most important thing that companies can do at the moment is to look for the opportunities for recalibration that the economic crisis has made and I hope that my presentation will show the various ways in which companies can connect the goal of operational excellence with the need to recover and look at the available strategies. Everyone accepts that there is now a need to transform and change but the question we need to answer is how to change.”
Times are hard now, as we are all aware, and- honestly- we don’t have any real control over macro events like recession. We can however, converse and work together to find the best ways to cope with them. Speaking personally I find it very hard to see past the urgent need for investment in R&D and skills development at the moment. Traditionally this has been where UK manufacturing has excelled; past investment in skills, knowledge, technical ability have been the basis of our greatest manufacturing successes and they will be all the more important in the future. We must have the capability to constantly create and push the competitive edge and this can only be done by drawing in new talent- new ideas. When I have a captive audience I see an opportunity to communicate that message. If I can inspire 5% of those listening to go back to the work place and talk to a local school or take on an apprentice then I feel satisfied. If I inspire 50% I’m ecstatic. You only get out what you put in to an event and so I have to be committed and to believe it is worthwhile in order to gain any satisfaction from the experience.”
Charles Morgan – Managing Director, Morgan Motorcars “For me personally I see this as a great opportunity to show the pioneering work we are doing with a much smaller budget than some of the large companies in the car industry. We are a small but flourishing example of innovative British manufacturing and a proof that small companies can really benefit throughout tough times by being creative within their niche areas. Smaller companies may not be able to invest in developing the mass marketable new technologies that the big players are interested in but they have the scope to be inventive in much quirkier ways.”
Be bothered! Visit www.themanufacturer.com/directorsconference
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