*** The rise and fall and rise of British manufacturing ***

CONFERENCE CHAIRED BY:

Brian Groom UK Business & Employment Editor Financial Times   Peter Marsh Manufacturing Editor Financial Times

 

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

Dick Olver Chairman BAE Systems   Vince Cable MP Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

 

	Ron Dennis Executive Chairman, McLaren Automotive and McLaren Group			Terry Scuoler Chief Executive EEF

PLUS:

Andrew Churchill, Managing Director, JJ Churchill Sir Mike Gregory, Head of Manufacturing and Management Division, Cambridge University Engineering Department and the Institute of Manufacturing N.S. Bala, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing and Hi-Tech, Wipro Technologies

Overview

British manufacturing activity was considered the 'workhorse of the world' throughout the 19th century, before falling away. Has its time come again? It certainly looks that way. With the financial services sector smarting from recent events, Government is now looking to the UK's manufacturers to help the economy make its way out of recession.

But if UK manufacturing is to succeed in an increasingly competitive world, what needs to happen in the UK policy and business environment? What do the new business models challenging manufacturing orthodoxy look like? Does UK manufacturing have to specialise? If so, in what? And in this 'new economy', will manufacturing have to be about more than making things?  

This strategic half-day conference will bring together industry leaders, policy-makers and academics to discuss the risks, challenges and opportunities facing UK manufacturing activity, and the structural changes that must take place to secure its future.

Some of the questions and themes to be addressed include:

• How can manufacturing companies make the most of a slow-growth environment?
• How are worldwide trends - social, political, economic - shaping British manufacturing?
• What must UK manufacturers do to 'future-proof' themselves?
• Who are the 'next generation' manufacturers? And where will they come from?
• The new economy is giving rise to new business models. What do they look like?
• Can technology create jobs rather than just replace them?
• How can manufacturing deal with its image problem and attract the best talent? 

Who should attend?

Invitations to attend are being extended to CEOs and senior board members, decision-makers and strategists from UK manufacturing firms, academia, media and government.  Additional senior applicants will be considered for invitation subject to availability of places and meeting the above criteria.