Manufacturing sector numbers exceed service sector

More than 400 UK manufacturers gained inspiration to win the business battle at a North West summit with keynote speakers including former UN Commander Bob Stewart.

More than 400 manufacturers gained inspiration to win the business battle at a North West summit with keynote speakers including former UN Commander Bob Stewart.

'Bosnia Bob' Stewart, now a consultant in leadership and motivation, joined leaders from industry, academia and government at The Manufacturing Institute's 2005 Manufacturer's Autumn Summit.

The theme of the event - Staying Ahead: achieving growth through people, process and technological change - focused on the key themes for underpinning the UK's competitive edge.

Welcoming the delegates, The Manufacturing Institute?s chairman Neville Chamberlain highlighted the strength of the manufacturing sector, which employs more than 3.8m people in the UK ? with an estimated additional 2.4m service sector jobs also relying on the sector.

The North West also has more manufacturing employment than any other region.

"However, increasing global competition means we have to be permanently ahead of our game," he said.

"It is because of this competition from what many see as an emerging low wage global hegemony that we need dynamic leadership throughout industry to ensure we remain in the vanguard of manufacturing innovation and production." CBI innovation adviser John Beacham told the Summit that recent research had found massive room for improvement in leadership skills.

Findings had revealed that more than 80% of workers lack any real commitment to their job, and most blame poor management - while a second survey revealed that only 2% of UK HR managers believed the people skills of line managers were 'excellent'.

Success came, he commented, through leadership that combined inspiration and perspiration.

"Inspiration comes in creating the right climate for innovation and recruiting, managing and developing the delivery team".

"Perspiration is in creating stretch goals and in inspiring their achievement through empowerment," he said.

Other speakers from industry included Manufacturer Awards winner JohnsonDiversey, Siemens, BAE Systems, Clark Door, James Walker, Money Controls, DuPont SA and Rockwell Automation.

The event, at Bolton's Reebok Stadium, was supported by The Northwest Regional Development Agency and The Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) North West.

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the Northwest Regional Development Agency, commented: "The Summit provided the opportunity for companies to learn from some of the UK's most advanced manufacturers about how they have successfully aligned their people, processes and technology to win against global competition.".

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