I attended a very informative breakfast event today at HSBC in Fulwood, Preston. The event focused on developing growth strategies for Lancashire manufacturers. There were some interesting messages coming from the event, which I have summarised below.
According to the 2014 MHA Manufacturing and Engineering Survey Report:
92% of Manufacturers surveyed are expecting business growth upwards of 10%
62% are expecting an increase in staff numbers
85% of Manufacturers are predicting investment in Research and Development activities
There is a lot of optimism within the sector although the most significant issue is the skills gap
This information was backed up by Darrell Matthews of EEF who
