Manufacturers need to carefully monitor cost-control if they are to continue recovery from the recession, an industry expert has claimed.
Lee Hopley, chief economist at manufacturing body EEF, told the Daily Mail that the manufacturing industry will gain from overseas exports this year, but they should still exercise caution.
"An export driven recovery looks likely to take centre stage as the main driver for growth across the economy, although rising costs mean that manufacturers will have one eye on inflation and continued cost control," he told the news provider.
His comments come after figures from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, whose index measures productivity, showed that the manufacturing sector grew at its fastest pace in 15 years during January.
The index for UK manufacturing reached 56.7, its highest point since October 1994.
Jonathan Loynes at Capital Economics added that although the figures are very encouraging, UK manufacturing output still has a "very long way to go to get back to its pre-recession peak".
An expansion of biomass and bioenergy facilities may also have helped to boost sales for certain parts of specialist machinery such as weighing systems and vibratory separation equipment, used to separate biomass compounds.