Liverpool in manufacturing push

A CAMPAIGN has been launched in Merseyside to build on its strengths as a major UK manufacturing centre.

The sector already provides 53,000 jobs and puts £2.7bn into the area’s economy and it is home to the likes of Unilever, Jaguar Land Rover and General Motors.

The Making It campaign is being led by the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), business leaders, the Liverpool universities, local authorities, and the University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing.

It will identify local areas of expertise, what the region should make in future and how these goals can be achieved.

Alan Welby, LEP executive director for key growth sectors, said: “Making It will provide real support to make our manufacturing sector globally competitive. Manufacturing makes a vital contribution to the city region economy and this campaign will prioritise our most valuable manufacturing opportunities and ensure the future of a thriving local manufacturing economy.”

A series of workshops will be held to identify possible focus areas and these conclusions will be fed through to a national study. An action plan will be drawn up and presented at a conference in the autumn.