The myth of Britain's manufacturing decline

[d000hg]

Source: El Reg

Woe unto us for we don't make anything any more. We've given up on manufacturing and that's what ails the UK economy. We must therefore invest heavily in a renaissance of making things that we can drop on our feet and all will be right with the world.

You don't have to be all that much of a newspaper fanatic to recognise that mantra: it's been repeated so often that it has become the received wisdom. We even have politicians advancing ideas about how we might manage to achieve the desired outcome. There is, however, only one teensie tiny problem with the whole idea. It ain't true.

Wondered what everyone thought about this? It's being tangentially discussed in Atw's thread, what do you reckon?

[minestrone]

I have said for years manufacturing never went, it just changed massively.

People who claim there was a decline always use the car industry as the example, their knowledge of the industry is very superficial and they cannot comment on anything else as they have no depth of knowledge. A bit like people who ask of you make web sites when they find out you work in IT, they know so little they can only think of web sites and people who peddle the manufacturing decline myth can only think of cars.

Manufacturing skilled up, it got off the massive production lines that made nothing and companies got into niche skills. I can think of dozens and dozens of small 10-100 people companies doing interesting stuff close to me. But the people that claim the decline cannot see that as they never worked in the field.

I am more concerned about people passing themselves off as experts on subjects they have only spent a few hours reading about on the web.

[AtW]

I have said for years manufacturing never went, it just changed massively.

and

Manufacturing skilled up, it got off the massive production lines that made nothing and companies got into niche skills.

So, it did not "go", just turned from massive production lines (surely meaning employing more people) to "niche" skills, meaning employing less people?

That's ******* what they mean by gone - when things are invented in this country but they have to be purchased at great expense, like tilting trains for example.

[minestrone]

and



So, it did not "go", just turned from massive production lines (surely meaning employing more people) to "niche" skills, meaning employing less people?

That's ******* what they mean by gone - when things are invented in this country but they have to be purchased at great expense, like tilting trains for example.

Again, "I am more concerned about people passing themselves off as experts on subjects they have only spent a few hours reading about on the web."

[original PM]

ok so I suppose Mr Minestrone you need to expand on your statement saying it has not 'gone' merely 'changed'

Has the change included a migration of jobs out of the country which has caused a decline in the jobs available in the manufacturing industry?

[gingerjedi]

I don't know anyone who makes things? My home town used to employ a few thousand in high tech manufacturing jobs up until the 80's but not any more.

It's all very well having a graph that shows otherwise but IME there are no local manufacturing jobs anymore.

[minestrone]

ok so I suppose Mr Minestrone you need to expand on your statement saying it has not 'gone' merely 'changed'

Has the change included a migration of jobs out of the country which has caused a decline in the jobs available in the manufacturing industry?

There probably has been a decline in numbers but the lost jobs were generally low skilled low trained jobs. It is impossible for us to compete at high labour manufacturing when our labour costs are about the highest in the world.

Manufacturing is high tech in this country again, it made that change in the 80s.

Anyway, here come my fish and chips.

[AtW]

There probably has been a decline in numbers but the lost jobs were generally low skilled low trained jobs.

[Paddy]

Source: El Reg


Wondered what everyone thought about this? It's being tangentially discussed in Atw's thread, what do you reckon?

Utter crap. Manufacturing in the UK is mainly assembly of parts and the re-badge of Chinese goods. Even my old school friend who has a workshop in his back garden gets parts custom machined in China because its cheaper. China has the same CNC lathe as Germany, cuts the same type of metal. In Germany it cost £40 in China £5. I have even seen German manufactures putting Made in Germany stickers on imported Chinese goods.

[AtW]

I have even seen German manufactures putting Made in Germany stickers on imported Chinese goods.

I think (but not totally sure) it is legitimate so long as majority of costs of the thing is local

I would not laugh at Germany though - they still make plenty of good cars and they are top exporter after China. See it can actually be done and they did it.