CPI makes manufacturing demands on the Government

Earlier this month there was an event in parliament where the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) called for more students to study science A-levels, better support for Research & Development in industry and for politicians to show belief in the value of the UK’s manufacturing sector. This was a key stage in a pro-manufacturing campaign that is also being supported by Boeing, GlaxoSmithKline, the Food & Drink Federation, General Motors, Astra Zeneca and others.

CPI director general David Workman said: “A joined-up long term vision for manufacturing is essential to ensure regulation is workable rather than stifling.

“The cumulative effect of regulation is making it uncompetitive for companies to be here. By 2020 we will have no energy intensive manufacturing in the UK unless there are significant changes in government policy.”

Here is a brief outline of the five key demands that are being made of government:

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Skills and STEM

  • Ensure our workforce is highly skilled by encouraging the study of science and maths and increasing the proportion of 16-18 year olds who take one or more sciences at A-level from 17% to 25%.

Strategic support and procurement

  • More government support in encouraging manufacturers to invest in the UK, including research and development programmes to keep us at the cutting edge. Our goal should be for the UK to be at the top of international league tables on R&D spending as a proportion of GDP.

Regulatory environment – energy policy

  • Ensure the environmental imperative of decarbonising the economy, is balanced against the potential for the UK to become an internationally uncompetitive manufacturing destination because of inflated energy and carbon costs. The Government needs to hold a fundamental, cross-departmental review of the impact of environmental legislation on the UK’s growth strategy and competitiveness as a manufacturing nation.

The political culture

  • A concrete political will to inspire the belief that the UK will evolve as a high-value manufacturing economy, growing it as a proportion of GDP in order to offset the low-cost manufacturing activity which decamps to second-tier economies, is essential. The CPI  has worked hard at communicating the importance of corrugated packaging to UK manufacturing as a whole, by factory visits and parliament lobbying.

SMEs: the supply chain and trade finance

  • In order for SMEs to thrive as part of the supply chain, a light-touch regulatory environment is crucial. Concerted action which helps SMEs to grow by giving them access to overseas markets is essential. We need to attract foreign suppliers to the UK, which will plug the emerging capability gaps in domestic supply chains and ensure that top-tier manufacturers benefit t from low logistical costs.”

Posted Date: 27th Sep 2011