The UK manufacturers group EEF is to call on the government to do more to help the sector grow over the next few years.
While the domestic manufacturing sector has been hit hard by the recent economic downturn, the industry group points out in its new Manufacturing Manifesto that it nevertheless helped to generate around 13 per cent of total GDP in 2009.
Furthermore, this figure could be increased should the government boost its levels of support, thereby allowing companies to invest in new technology and expand their operations, with machinery such as en-masse conveyors and en-masse elevators that can boost production rates.
In particular, the EEF is calling on the government to make the procurement and planning processes easier for manufacturing firms to deal with, while also increasing its financial support of ongoing research and development (R&D) initiatives.
Alan Hall, regional director for the group, told the Newcastle Journal: "We have to tackle the myth that the UK doesn’t have a manufacturing sector and set out how our sector can take a more important role than it has done in the recent past
"It’s a huge task but we have to start now."
Earlier this month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that manufacturing rates grew by 0.9 per cent over December, signalling an upturn in the sector’s fortunes.