Leading the charge for a minister for manufacturing

Andrea Wilson is the Operations Director of Hone-All Precision, an SME engineering business based in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, and the voice of the Support UK Manufacturing initiative which began during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Campaign for a dedicated minister for manufacturing. As someone who has worked in the sector for over 25 years, Andrea has experienced first-hand the positives but also the negatives of the industry.

“Many SME engineering businesses in the UK are owner managed, unfortunately as a result of that we’re not very good at marketing ourselves. Historically we haven’t been the best at shouting about what we do, how good we are and what technology and expertise we have. I’ve also seen how the support mechanisms that the government have had in place over that period have not necessarily been in support of SMEs.

“As a result of industry meetings and roundtables I’ve attended, which feed into government policy – the people around the table tend to be a who’s who of high-level manufacturing and engineering therefore, they tend not to hear directly from the people who are working on the shop floor. Over the last 25 years, I’ve been trying to generate strategies for the nation, as well as trying to get the small business perspective on the support that’s required in a business that employs less than 100 people.”

Andrea explained that there have been some wins throughout the years, certainly in relation to the work that Make UK has been doing which feeds into policy. They were able to help bring in flexible furlough that allowed Hone-All Precision to continue training during the furlough periods of the pandemic. However, Andrea highlighted that the industry is still facing the same issues as it was 25 years ago, which is heightened by a lack of coherent long-term investment strategy by government.

Support UK Manufacturing

The Support UK Manufacturing initiative and the campaign for a minister started during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hone-All Precision remained open throughout the lockdowns however, like most businesses the company were quieter than usual. Andrea explained: “There were a number of us on LinkedIn chatting about the issues we were facing and there was around 25 of us who were in support of getting the SME voice heard.

“We started the initiative, and the campaign was one of our first requests. We were initially pushing for a Commissioner for Manufacturing because it would have been a long-term post and it’s non-political. However, one of our contacts within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), at the time, informed us that we had more chance of getting a minister than a commissioner, so we changed tack based on that feedback.

“We launched the petition to appoint a dedicated minister for manufacturing with the aim of acquiring 10,000 signatures and based on the support and conversations we’d had on LinkedIn this felt achievable.

“However, the response was quite appalling. This wasn’t because people didn’t believe in the cause, it came down to something much simpler… time. As the world started getting back to normal after the pandemic, a lot of the people who were initially involved in the campaign were very busy with their businesses and so as it stands currently, it’s just myself and a few others who still support and share the news about the campaign.”

Over the course of the campaign, Andrea and the Support UK Manufacturing team have had to adjust their goals. While initially focused on seeking a minister for manufacturing, Andrea is campaigning for a key figure within government who will speak on behalf of and support the sector.

In a recent letter to the Prime Minister, Andrea respectfully requested the appointment of a minister for manufacturing, or an alternative, senior government position such as a commissioner, or chief manufacturing officer, to support and represent the critical sector that is manufacturing. She urged that this must be someone with experience and knowledge of the industry and its wide-ranging sectors. From the support given by industry, it’s agreed that manufacturing needs a clear and cohesive long-term vision and strategy. Following that, a senior government official is needed to help deliver it.

This doesn’t feel like an unreasonable request considering government has appointed many other ministers for various sectors. UK manufacturing and engineering contributes significantly to the economy. Together, SMEs provide millions of jobs and contribute billions in output. According to new research commissioned by the Royal Academy of Engineering, more than 8.1 million people (over a quarter of all UK workers – 26%), are part of the country’s engineering economy.

On average, the annual economic output generated from an engineering job is estimated to be 23% higher than the average job in the UK. The UK has 729,000 engineering firms, equivalent to more than one in ten (13%) of all UK businesses. And industry contributes an estimated £645bn to the economy annually. Yet, manufacturing has no voice in government.

“Many of my manufacturing colleagues and myself have invited politicians on tours of our factories to give them a chance to learn more about what we do,” added Andrea. “There have been ministers put into positions in the past who support engineering and manufacturing which seems great on the surface. However, their remit is often so huge that realistically they don’t have time with their other responsibilities.

“We need somebody within government who recognises the massive contribution we make, is passionate about the sector and starts listening to the needs of the industry and SMEs. Everywhere you look, even the bigger companies in the sector are saying we need a long-term strategy for industry and yet we’re still not seeing it.

“Labour seems to now be pushing that way; they’ve generated and created their own strategy with support from Make UK. That’s looking hopeful, however it’s vital that smaller businesses also feed into this industrial council otherwise nothing is ever going to change.”

Support UK Manufacturing is dedicated to finding a fair and ambitious voice to represent industry in government, with the aim to deliver on four key areas (see boxout).

Throughout the campaign, Andrea and the team haven’t been invited to parliament to discuss their requests. The question to ask is why? Do the government think that manufacturing is doing well enough on their own and that they don’t need the support?

That’s not to say that the government haven’t provided funding and grants, however, Andrea explained that they aren’t structured correctly, particularly in reference to SMEs. She added: “For example, when applying for a capital grant for a new machine, I had to prove that I was going to employ two more people. If I’m improving technology and productivity, the machines should be doing the work.

“The job creation side of grant funding doesn’t line up with improving our productivity as a nation. You often hear how the UK is bottom of the league for productivity among our European neighbours, but a lot of grants and funding don’t help this situation. It’s a constant cycle of trying to make positive change, and can be a game of two steps forward, three steps back.”

Something that amazed me from my conversation with Andrea, was her determination to keep on going despite the lack of response from the government. From battling her own personal issues to experiencing campaign fatigue and a disappointing petition uptake, she hasn’t given up in her quest for positive change.

It’s evident how much she loves the industry and the people in it. She continued: “I’m so grateful to work in an incredibly exciting, innovative and importantly, diverse industry. I’ve witnessed tremendous change over the years and although we aren’t where we want to be, massive steps have been made as we now have many diverse prominent figures and more youngsters coming through. The Manufacturer Top 100 has brought that to the forefront!”

Quite frankly, UK manufacturing doesn’t get the recognition, support or structure it deserves. Many other countries around the world have a positive view towards manufacturing and engineering, and it’s seen as a major contributor to the economy. Perhaps this comes back to the age-old issue that we talk about time and time again; the perception of the industry is way off the mark. Perhaps we could learn a thing or two from the US, where manufacturing ambassadors have been appointed across several key states.

I asked Andrea what her biggest achievement was so far and although she seemed to think they hadn’t quite achieved anything yet, I’d argue her case that while government are yet to respond, the initiative has raised awareness, united the manufacturing community and given SMEs a voice. As a result of the support the campaign has received on social media, more initiative and interest has been taken in what’s going on in local manufacturing areas.

While Andrea believes they’ve still got a long way to go, by continuing to raise the profile of manufacturing and engineering, we can all play a part in shouting about how amazing the UK sector is. Industry is surviving and thriving despite the lack of correct government support; just imagine what it could do if the government were listening to their voices.