Pictured: John Rider, Chairman, IoD West Midlands, Grant
McPherson, manufacturing operations director, Jaguar Castle
Bromwich; Simon Walker, IoD Director General
New director general of the Institute of Directors Simon Walker
has promised to throw his weight behind manufacturing.
His comments came as Mike Smith, chief executive of
Birmingham-based Bromford Industries urged the Government to beef
up its strategy for the sector.
Mr Walker was touring the West Midlands in a first visit to the
region in the wake of taking up his post, and saw round Bromford,
the Castle Bromwich Jaguar factory and the Worcester plant of
machine tool maker Yamazaki Mazak UK.
Bemoaning the skills gap which makes it hard to get engineers,
Mr Smith insisted: "Britain needs a proper manufacturing strategy
and it needs to start in the schools, breaking the barriers and the
belief that factories are dirty and dingy. It is not true."
And he was supported by his chairman John Hudson who declared:
"It is not anywhere near right at the moment."
Mr Walker heard that Bromford Industries, backed by Darwin
Private Equity, employed 350 across centres in Birmingham,
Alcester, Coventry and Leicester. A maker of precision parts for
aero engines, under-carriage assemblies and gears, along with
industrial gas turbines, it has a turnover of £30 million,
exporting nearly all its output. Components go into the Eurofighter
and end users include Siemens, Alstom, Rolls-Royce and Messier
Dowty.
Yamazaki Mazak UK exports 90 per cent of its production. It also
supplies Bromford Industries. It is investing heavily, continuing
to expand despite taking a huge knock in the 2008/9 recession.
JLR's Castle Bromwich factory, where once Spitfires were built,
currently manufactures the XF, XK and XJ ranges. Launched in
September, the revised XF range holds among it the most fuel
efficient Jaguar ever created. The 2.2-litre diesel-powered
executive car proved just how frugal it can be by claiming 62.9 mpg
on a 2,884-mile journey across the US crossing three time zones and
11 states.
Jaguar's fastest model in a generation - the XKR-S with a top
speed of 186 mph and acceleration from 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds -
has just broadened its appeal with a convertible version available
early next year. Utilising advanced lightweight aluminium
technologies at Castle Bromwich enables Jaguar Land Rover to
produce class-leading vehicles like the XJ - the lightest car in
its class, allowing it to also be one of the most efficient and
responsive.
Mr Walker said: "I was very impressed with what I saw - it is
the future. It shows British ingenuity at its best. These are
export-orientated businesses which is what we as a country need to
be doing.
"I am keen to help the Government with its drive to rebalance
the UK economy in favour of manufacturing.
"Yes, there is a lot of ground to make up. Our workforce gaps
are not mirrored in France and Germany. But we have great brands
which have massive potential."
And he urged Ministers to make good on their promises to reduce
the burdens on business. "We must make it easier to employ
people."
Mr Walker praised West Midlands IoD as being "enormously strong"
and focussed on young people.
Regional chairman John Rider: "We have superb examples of top
class manufacturing businesses in this area, but not enough of
them. Young people need work and every effort must go into creating
the jobs that are so badly needed."