MAKE UK CONFERENCE MARCH 2020
TIME TO PAY UP
The era of low wages and a reliance on overseas
labour is coming to an end, delegates to the Make
UK National Manufacturing Conference were warned
BY CHRIS BECK
Apprenticeships, Brexit and the
economy were the main topics of
discussion at the 2020 Make UK
National Manufacturing Conference,
held on 25 February at the QEII
Exhibition Centre in Westminster.
The timing of the event, coming two months
after one of the most momentous general
elections for generations, under a month since
the beginning of the Brexit withdrawal process
and a mere fortnight since the major cabinet
reshuffl e, made it ripe for predictions.
The day kicked off with an inspirational
presentation by Richard Paxman, managing
director of Huddersfi eld-based scalp cooling cap
manufacturer, Paxman (who was profi led in the
October 2019 issue of MM). He told the almost
1,000 delegates in attendance how the tragic
death of his mother led to the founding of the
family business. The technology it develops aims
to minimise the risk of hair loss amongst cancer
patients. Richard explained how everything the
company does relates back to his mother, and how
those values drive everything from his leadership
style to the work done on the factory fl oor.
Onto the less inspiring topic of the political
landscape, Make UK CEO Stephen Phipson took to
the stage to warn that there are “seismic changes”
coming to the economy that manufacturers must
be prepared for. “During the transition period,
there is a lot of work for organisations like us to
do in telling the government what we require from
any trade deal with the EU to make us sustainable.
We don’t expect things to remain the same, but
we do expect government to respond positively to
our suggestions to allow the industry to continue
to grow.”
and investment, now that
we have some stability in the
corridors of power. The call
came after a snap poll of Make
UK members found that almost
three-quarters of companies
(70.7%) want an increase in
investment allowances, followed
by over two-thirds wanting
costs to the EU average
a reduction in energy
(69.7%) and almost
half calling for an
increase in R&D Tax
Credits (48.5%).
Top of the agenda
for Make UK, though,
is skills. Phipson, who
himself entered the
industry as an apprentice,
outlined a multi-million pound
investment at Make UK’s
Apprentice Training Centre
in Aston – which is one of the
largest providers of skilled
workers in the country – and
committed to “putting the
skills agenda at the heart of
government.”
Next to speak was veteran
broadcaster, Andrew Neil. After
skewering everyone in politics
from Diane Abbott to Michael
Gove, Neil’s trademark brand
of political commentary and
economic insight was a hit with
the entire audience. After last
year’s warning that extreme
left- or right-wing politics is
hostile to business, this year’s
speech was slightly more
tempered, with the relative
stability in Westminster being
a time for companies to grow.
“Of course, there is still
uncertainty, but following
the election we have negated
two major uncertainties,”
he said. “One, it got us
out of the Brexit Bermuda
Triangle, that we look like
being trapped in forever, and
two, it removed the longterm
prospect of a Corbyn
government, which would have
been a bad thing for businesses.”
We’re not out of the woods
yet, though. Neil warned that
stability is no guarantee of
growth: “There will be no real
return to growth, investment
and full confi dence until we
see the shape of the future
partnership arrangement with
the EU. The bad news is that
there is a bust-up coming with
the EU around trade deals; the
good news that if that bust-up
happens by the spring, that
would be early enough to bring
all parties together again in time
for the withdrawal.”
Neil also predicted an end
to globalised supply chains,
with products going back and
forth over borders. “Instead,
technology like 3D printers will
allow much more local sourcing
of supplies; electric vehicles have
many fewer moving parts than
the combustion engine. As one
Downing Street advisor put it to
me, ‘we are not going to build
an FTA agreement based on a
supply chain model. There is not
the future.’”
Andrew Neil
gave predictions
around the
economy and
the future of
supply chains
Left: Secretary
of State for BEIS,
Alok Sharma
visited Make UK
apprentices at
the event
Phipson also urged government to “turbocharge”
productivity
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