A barometer of British manufacturing business will give a clear picture of which way the wind is blowing for one of the UK’s most vital sectors.
National audit, tax, advisory and consulting firm Crowe has launched its annual Manufacturing Outlook Survey, in conjunction with CBM, the Confederation of British Metalforming.
The survey is running until Wednesday 9 April and will gauge the opinion of those who work in the industry on key issues.
Johnathan Dudley, Partner and Head of Manufacturing at Crowe, said: “If the government is serious about going for growth, then they need to understand the very real problems facing UK business at present.
“Manufacturing is a cornerstone of our GDP, and it has been proven time and time again that when manufacturing is strong, the UK economy is in a good place.”
“This survey seeks to throw light on both the day-to-day problems and the long term strategic decisions that manufacturing businesses are facing.”
The short multiple choice survey will assess opinions on key issues including:
- skills and education
- investment, digitisation and innovation
- energy, decarbonisation and the route to net zero
- supply chain strategy and security
- access to finance and funding.
Last year, Crowe set out a road ahead for UK manufacturing when launching its Manufacturing Manifesto in June ahead of the 4 July General Election.
The Manufacturing Manifesto argues that successive governments have been listening to the wrong voices.
Dudley said: “Without manufacturing, the country would not have goods to trade and the foundations of the UK’s financial services and legal sectors, so often vaunted as the main driver of the economy by economists and news media, would suffer in both volume and global relevance.”
His comments come in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s imposition of trade tariffs on targeted counties around the world.
Dudley pointed out that UK manufacturing remains the eighth largest globally by output value.
“We have a window of opportunity to boost our manufacturing capacity and ensure that UK goods are freely available in markets across the globe.”
The survey can be accessed here and further information is available from johnathan.dudley@crowe.co.uk
