AROUND THE REGIONS FEBRUARY 2019
AROUND THE REGIONS:
THE EAST MIDLANDS
Being the home to some of the UK’s leading manufacturing giants means the East
Midlands region has the highest proportion of people working in the sector nationally
BY CHARLOTTE HOROBIN, MEMBERSHIP REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR THE MIDLANDS, EEF
Once referred to by Dr Mark Carney as the
‘bellwether’ of the UK economy, the East
Midlands boasts one of the most diverse
business environments and this is true
even of its makers. It’s a region that is
often understated and misunderstood,
but boy does it pack a punch. It has all of the
great ingredients of a growing region, with a long
heritage of skill and knowledge – most notably
as the region Sir Isaac Newton called home, Sir
Richard Arkwright, father of the modern factory
and catalyst of the industrial revolution, set up
shop, Dr Stewart Adams OBE invented Ibuprofen
and Sir Frank Whittle invented the turbojet engine.
The region boasts great infrastructure systems,
with many key roads passing through the region,
the busiest pure cargo airport in the UK and its
sea ports account for over 25% of the UK’s rail
freight. It’s also centrally located, being able to
serve over 75% of the UK population within an
hour. There’s no wonder that yet again in the EEF/
BDO Regional Outlook that the East Midlands had
the highest proportion of people working within
the manufacturing sector in the UK and led the way
in regional job growth with 297,00 families reliant
on the sector for their livelihood.
So let’s go on a quick tour and we’ll start in
Derbyshire for good reason, home to the world’s
first factory Cromford Mill and today still houses
the oldest working factory Lea Bridge where John
Smedley still produce their iconic knitwear and
export it around the globe. Today though it’s
synonymous with some powerhouses of modern
industry Rolls-Royce (Derby factory pictured),
Bombardier and Toyota. Our makers are going
above and beyond to be future fit for the world
stage with David Nieper, producers of luxury
ladies’ garments, securing their future workforce
by supporting their local school, now known as the
David Nieper Academy, one of the most inspiring
demonstrations of support to the next generation
that I’ve seen across UK manufacturing.
Once the leading lace-producing county,
Nottinghamsire today is best known for its
medical technology and pharmaceuticals. Boots
remains a significant employer in the area, but a
thriving innovation ecosystem surrounds it with
Biocity and Medicity developing life science and
medical technology businesses
of the future.
Leicestershire again boasts a
strong heritage in textiles, and
signs of the hosiery industry can
still be seen in the city centres
architecture. The National Space
Centre is a notable landmark in
Leicester and today the Space
Park Leicester is developing
businesses who are producing
space related technologies.
Whilst touring the region it’s
a great place to stop for lunch.
As home to both the pork pie
and Stilton cheese, Melton
Mowbray is the ‘Rural Capital
of Food’. My last example of
the unique diversity found in
the county has to be Charles
Bentley & Sons Ltd, the last UK
brush manufacturer, proving
that quality products and a
professional strong brand can
make you a global champion.
The region is
ideally placed to
be an industry
powerhouse,
says Charlotte
Horobin
Northamptonshire, famous
for its leather industry, remains
the headquarters to the iconic
Dr. Martens. A bustling logistics
cluster enables the rest of the
East Midlands region to have a
wide reach across the UK and
into Europe. Conscientious
companies such as Alpro have
just been awarded their B-Corp
certification and are embedding
‘One Planet Thinking’ into their
business strategy. Scott Bader,
producer of speciality polymers,
operate as a trusteeship have
set their Vision 2036 to drive a
healthy community, a healthy
environments in order to have
a healthy business.
We’ll round up our whistle
stop tour in Lincolnshire,
where the manufacturing
sector is often misunderstood.
Food processing is high on the
agenda (the National Food
Manufacturing Centre is based
there), but the area’s diversity is
demonstrated by the presence
of manufacturers whose
products ensure cash flows out
of ATM machines, technologies
for electric vehicles, materials
for the Bloodhound SSC
project and the largest engine
remanufacturer Autocraft
Drivetrain, which has secured
the purchase of the Mahle site
in Wellingborough to strengthen
its operation.
The relationship between
the East Midlands and
manufacturing is symbiotic,
the region grows because of the
exciting manufacturing sector,
but the makers couldn’t survive
without the facets that make the
East Midlands a great place to
be based.
42 www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk
Roger Bamber / Alamy Stock Photo
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk