North West is a manufacturing heartland – report
A report by a Manchester think tank claims the North West has the largest manufacturing sector in the UK, based on the number of employees.
New Economy said manufacturing in the region employs around 323,000 people.
Comparative numbers for other parts of the UK were not available at the time of publication.
The largest employer is chemicals manufacturing with 25,000 staff, a quarter of the UK total, followed by aerospace with 16,000, a fifth of the national share. Other big industries are automotive with 9,000 and nuclear processing with 8,500.
New Economy also found it is more productive than any other sector with a gross value added per employee of £51,000. This compares to a national average of £35,000.
It has prepared the report, ‘Manufacturing and Nuclear in the North West’, as part of a research collaboration between the North West’s five sub-region’s: Cheshire and Warrington, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Liverpool.
Juergen Maier, managing director for Siemens Industry and chair of the North West Business Leadership Team, said: “Manufacturing in the north of England is perceived by many as a sector that long ago disappeared with the last century’s post-industrial decline. This report highlights how that perception couldn’t be further from the truth and in particular how the North West still leads the way in this highly important sector.”
The report is being launched at the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) Manufacturing Matters conference at Salford City Stadium on Thursday 12th September which brings together manufacturers from across the North West together to celebrate, share and explore manufacturing excellence in the region.
Richard Jeffery, director of the Business Growth Hub which operates the MAS service in the North West, said: “The past few years have been tough for this sector, globally as well as regionally, and we need to understand and share what we have learnt from this lean period and use it to drive the industry forward ever further and to build a solid foundation for the next generation of manufacturing businesses.”
