British Manufacturing Post Covid 19
I had a long chat with a Healthcare procurement official last week - he was certainly not up for buying anything that was sourced from China as had already suffered a promised delivery that had not arrived and also a batch of goods that had been paid up front for but on arrival were not fit for purpose and had to be put in the skip .
I have heard similar stories from several buyers in key NHS and Private hospitals over the past week.
The second half of the conversation went down the road of the Coronavirus originating in China and how we should not risk bringing further goods in and any subsequent reintroduction .....i will not comment on this and the argument is well documented in the news - you will have your own views.
With the above in mind, surely one of the key things we must learn as a country is that going forward from now we must increasingly invest in, utilise and support British manufacturing . British companies have been agile in turning quickly to divert resource to making items so urgently needed to fight the crisis.
British manufacturers are able to guarantee supply chain and to utilise a direct route to market, unfettered by other Governments, tariffs and customs . They are also accessible and bound by regulations to quality and recognised conformance standards . Sites are generally easy to access thus due diligence and quality controls are easier to carry out .
Finally anything made in the UK provides employment - coming out of this crisis there is going to be a need like never before for jobs . The Government furlough scheme has been hugely taken up but as time passes and the lockdown continues it is becoming increasingly likely that the unemployment figure post Covid 19 will be considerably higher than we have known in recent years.
It appears to me ( i am guilty of this too) that persons are very ready to comment on the above but it is going to take a seismic shift in thinking away from price,price ,price and to think rather of the wider picture in when shoring up supply chains going forward ......feeling amongst many is that inadvertently we have all helped create the issue we face today .
We must unite behind UK manufacturers going forward and keep this hugely important sector alive and strong - lets not look to the price alone but to the future of great British manufacturing .
Director at FMSLtd
4 年@
Managing Director Euro Towers Ltd, Past Chairman of PASMA
4 年We have been manufacturing our Euro Towers aluminium towers and low level access equipment in Northampton for 30 years . We are very proud to be a British manufacturer and supplier.
Cleanroom Lighting Specialists - ???? made in the UK
4 年Russell James I have had numerous conversations with customers who face these challenges. The Covid-19 disruption has shown the world what fragility and lack of reliability has existed in many supply chains for a long, long time. The importance of British manufacturing is coming to the fore right now, not only the prestige and reputation of British goods but sheer reliability and availability of domestically-produced items too. Let's all do what we can to boost the ???? economy by keeping those ￡￡￡ circulating in the UK. BUY BRITISH!
Managing Director - Arcus Compliance Ltd Follow me for vape industry updates, my views on the state of vape in the UK and Europe and why you should work with Arcus Compliance.
4 年Absolutely!
1) Clayton Munroe/Weyland quality cabinet hardware. 2)Providing well known branded quality retail hardware Challenge & X .
4 年Agree 100%. It is an incredible opportunity for the UK to become an exporter of product and reduce the reliance on the financial services sector. Create a more stable wider-based economy. Let's change our sourcing habits for good and assist thereby the UK future prosperity.