People think Britain doesn't build anything

[fizzy]

Nice to see Colchester are still the World's biggest lathe company - and all the parts still made here!

 

[fizzy]

Obviously not as much as we used to but far from almost nothing. People tend to look at number of jobs in manufacturing forgetting how much automation has taken over. If you look at the gross value of things produced in the UK it is still quite a bit. We are still 9th in World manufacturing - although once upon a time of course we were top!

https://www.themanufacturer.com/uk-manufacturing-statistics/

"Contrary to widespread perceptions, UK manufacturing is strong with the UK currently the world's ninth largest industrial nation. Manufacturing makes up 10% of GVA and 45% of UK exports, and directly employs 2.7 million people."

 

[fizzy]

People need to support UK manufacturing a lot more!

 

[gaz1]

we dont produce much nowadays, I dont think i could actually name anything that is produced in the uk

i had to go and have a look

https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/5083/economics/what-does-the-uk-produce/

other than that its down to data peoples data that is

 

[fizzy]

we dont produce much nowadays, I dont think i could actually name anything that is produced in the uk

i had to go and have a look

https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/5083/economics/what-does-the-uk-produce/

other than that its down to data peoples data that is

"The UK still produces more in absolute terms than previously. We manufacturer a surprisingly wide range of goods from Nuclear reactors, military equipment, pharmaceutical products to electronics."

So you see it is a common misconception that we "don't make anything" anymore!

Aerospace is very strong - not bad for a pretty small country!

• 128,000+ direct jobs // 140,000 indirect jobs
• £31bn annual turnover
• 30% productivity growth in the past five years
• 39% growth since 2010
• 18% global market share – largest in Europe and second globally to the US
• 90% of turnover to export markets – worth £26bn
• Almost a decade’s worth of work in hand, with an order book of more than 13,000 aircraft worth up to £195bn to the UK

 

[fizzy]

For that to happen UK manufacturing will need to bring it's expectations and prices down and stop trading on a flag - not that all of them do, but a lot of what's left.

While there's plenty of room for expensive stuff (so long as it's high enough quality to justify) most people don't want to pay for that (and a lot wouldn't see the benefit anyway) so cheap imports generally rule.

The issue with that is that a UK employee won't do 18 hour days for thruppence ha'penny a week...

The thing is British manufacturing tends to be in hidden sectors the public don't see. A lot of defence and aerospace etc.

 

[daleyd]

Aero engines, pharmaceuticals, building materials, steel, glass, aeroplane wings, cars, oil& gas - these are just some of the industries I’ve done work for in the last 12 months so while we may not make a lot of stuff the average guy in the street would go out and purchase any more(maybe pharamaceuticals and building materials aside) we do actually make quite a bit of “stuff” in general.

 

[julianf]

I've got no numbers to back this up, but I think Britain is still high on biotech and weapons.

 

[fizzy]

Let's not forget JCB - sold all over the World. The fast combat tractors the Yanks use are based on the Fastrac!

Rolls Royce aerospace are huge - also own Allison.

BAE are huge here and in the USA where they build drones - rail guns - and all sorts of sneaky stuff! The Chobham armour used on Abrams tanks is British.

 

[frank horton]

shame is, Like when the bomb went of in the finacial section of London all the glass was supplied from Germany.....!!!!!!!!!!!
when I worked in the wind turbine manuf industry all the electric's were Seimens !!!!! but I suppose it's like the Metro in Athens all the trains are Seimens but then in the end they got done for BRIBERY.....
we should do like the French and buy British.......I certainly do where I can......

 

[fizzy]

Triumph motorbikes are doing pretty well. Who would have thought a company in the UK could start from scratch against the dominant Japanese? 54000 sold last year not bad going!

 

[Parm]

You’d be surprised what we make and do here in the UK

I’ve spent the last 25 years going to other people’s factories looking at the variety of manufacturing and innovation

The one thing we don’t do well is making a big noise about it and telling the world

 

[fizzy]

You’d be surprised what we make and do here in the UK

I’ve spent the last 25 years going to other people’s factories looking at the variety of manufacturing and innovation

The one thing we don’t do well is making a big noise about it and telling the world

Well said Parm. Knocking Britain and it's achievements seems to be a national pastime!

 

[RonA]

Compared to the quantity we used to produce, these days it is almost nothing.

A few relatively small companies don't make a case to say we still have a large manufacturing industry.

Don’t worry our banking & “invisible” exports will see us right.
RonA

 

[fizzy]

Don’t worry our banking & “invisible” exports will see us right.
RonA

It does generate massive income. London is still the financial capital of the world. No wonder the Russian billionaires all live there!

 

[Olderisbetter]

I always try and support the uk by buying Blitish

 

[oddbob]

Thing is, we can never live up to our industrial heritage ...after all on these islands "we built the modern world". The much reported post war industrial decline, coupled with our natural tendencies for self-deprecation mean we'll never admit it, but we all know we're pretty damn good at everything we choose do, we're still very relevant and we still punch well above our weight!

 

[zeppelin builder]

Triumph motorbikes are doing pretty well. Who would have thought a company in the UK could start from scratch against the dominant Japanese? 54000 sold last

 

[Hood]

Triumph motorbikes are doing pretty well. Who would have thought a company in the UK could start from scratch against the dominant Japanese? 54000 sold last year not bad going!

Pretty good right enough until you compare to Honda @ 17.6 million last year.

 

[Justme]

Aero engines, pharmaceuticals, building materials, steel, glass, aeroplane wings, cars, oil& gas - these are just some of the industries I’ve done work for in the last 12 months so while we may not make a lot of stuff the average guy in the street would go out and purchase any more(maybe pharamaceuticals and building materials aside) we do actually make quite a bit of “stuff” in general.

How many of them are actually UK owned?