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Manufacturers embracing flexibility
Global trends over the last two decades have created huge competitive pressures as well as major opportunities for companies in Wales. They have responded by moving their competitive offering away from cost, and towards innovation, new products and services. Underpinning this transformation has been the ability of companies to move quickly to respond to changing market circumstances and to seize new opportunities.
A key factor in this speed of movement, and a traditionally important source of competitive advantage for Welsh companies, is the UK's labour market, which remains relatively flexible in comparison to some of our major competitors in the developed world. This flexibility allows companies to quickly adopt a range of people and production strategies in response to changing demand conditions. During the recession, for example, the flexibility in the UK's labour market allowed many companies to take tough decisions, often in partnership with employees, which helped keep them afloat and also prepare for future growth.
The UK's flexible labour market is also an important factor in compensating for other areas of economic concern for manufacturers - both short-term and more structural - such as access to finance, skills shortages and weakness in supply chains.
Manufacturers across Wales tell us that they achieve the flexibility that they and their employees are seeking by working increasingly closely with them. But they are concerned that the constant churn of new regulation and the complexity of new laws are putting these positive relationships at risk.
EEF has this week published a report on the Modern Manufacturing Workplace which highlighted the importance of flexible working which allows companies and employees in Wales to find their own broad based solutions. As the government's own consultation on Modern Workplaces draws to an end and it launches the manufacturing stage of its Red Tape Challenge, EEF is calling on the government to look harder at alternatives to regulation and, to avoid complex and prescriptive regulations that get in the way of increasingly productive relationships between employers and employees.
Knowsley Authors
Lesley Martin-Wright
Chief Executive, Knowsley Chamber of Commerce.
Lesley Martin-Wright is the newly-appointed chief executive of Knowsley Chamber of Commerce.
Gaynor McGrail
Director at Knowley payroll services firm i_Paye.
Gaynor McGrail is co-founder of i-Paye, which offers payroll and financial services help for contractors, freelancers and self-employed professionals. She founded the company in 2005 with her husband Shaun and last year it topped the LDP Business Hot 100 list of the region's fastest-growing businesses.
Manufacturing Authors
Tony Caldeira
Managing Director, Caldeira Cushions.
Tony Caldeira is managing director of Caldeira Cushions. The company operates manufacturing sites both in Merseyside and in China.
Edward Moss
Public Relations and Communications, Manufacturing Advisory Service.
Edward Moss, Public Relations and Communications, Manufacturing Advisory Service.
The Manufacturing Advisory Service (www.mas-nw.co.uk)offers manufacturing companies practical, hands-on support in all aspects of manufacturing to help achieve improvements in productivity and competitiveness. Since 2002, MAS North West, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and delivered in the region by The Manufacturing Institute, has helped manufacturers to generate financial returns totalling ã739 million and to safeguard 8790 jobs. The Manufacturing Institute (www.manufacturinginstitute.co.uk) is an independent charity - driven by manufacturers for manufacturers. For 15 years, The Manufacturing Institute has helped transform manufacturing performance, working with over 4000 companies to gain competitive advantage from high impact skills building and productivity improvement programmes.
David Ost
North West regional director for EEF
David Ost, North West regional director for EEF.
David Ost is the North West regional director for EEF, the organisation for manufacturing, engineering and technology-based businesses, which operates a regional office in Warrington.
Property Authors
Chris Johnson
Managing Partner, Smith & Sons in Birkenhead
Chris Johnson is managing partner of Smith & Sons in Birkenhead. The firm is one of Merseyside's most prominent commercial property agencies and property auctioneers.
Andrew Owen
Head of business space, Mason Owen
Andrew Owen is head of business space at Liverpool commercial property agency, Mason Owen. The firm operates across the UK with a number of high profile clients.
Maritime Authors
Stuart Wood
Former Liverpool senior pilot interested in the maritime world
Stuart Wood, former Liverpool senior pilot, retired last June after 41 years holding his pilotâÂÂs licence. He interested in all aspects of the maritime world, principal of which is his perpetual love affair with the River Mersey.
Jim Teasdale
Chief Executive of Mersey Maritime
Jim Teasdale is chief executive of Mersey Maritime, overseeing all activities including marketing, lobbying, business development, and training and education. He was formerly chief executive of Birkenhead-based Laird Foundation, a centre of Vocational Excellence in Marine Engineering, and also represented Sea Vision UK in the North West region. Mersey Maritime lobbies for the Merseyside's maritime cluster.