News 08 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk Annual Buyers’ Guide 2024 It’s fair to say that the last few years have been a rollercoaster ride for manufacturers who have had to deal with the pandemic, the shock to energy prices from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, not to mention the continued challenges posed by new trade arrangements with the EU and the ongoing skills shortage. That’s before you factor in the domestic political chaos. But there may finally be signs of optimism according to the findings of Make UK’s annual survey of over two hundred Senior Executives which is conducted with PwC. The overarching message is that Britain’s manufacturers are viewing the UK as a more competitive place to locate their activities compared to twelve months ago, with an increasing number believing they are moving ahead of their European rivals. However, the report also shows they remain wary of the huge threat to their competitiveness posed by the economic behemoths of the US, India and China. The report also shows that at company level they are more bullish about the prospects for the manufacturing sector in 2024 with the vast majority of companies seeing opportunities outweighing the risks to their business. Manufacturers are backing this belief up with investment in new products, expansion into new markets and taking advantage of the accelerating use of new digital technologies to improve their business. These commitments should be boosted by the recent positive announcements from Government on full expensing, the extension of the Made Smarter scheme and, the creation of an Advanced Manufacturing Plan which puts the sector firmly front and centre of efforts to boost growth in the UK. However, the survey also shows that manufacturers are wary of the prospects for both the UK and global economies, while significant challenges remain in the faces of increased energy and employment costs, as well as access to domestic skills. In particular, the survey shows that digital technologies have the potential to boost productivity with almost three quarters of companies believing digitising operations will boost their operational efficiency. In addition, more than half of companies see generative AI as a means to increase the productivity of their workforce, while a similar number will be leveraging cloud and emerging technologies to reduce their carbon emissions and support their transition to net zero. However, not everything in the garden is rosy as, despite more optimistic prospects for the year, more than half of companies still see risks in increased energy costs closely followed by the impact of political instability which is probably now the new normal. More than two thirds are still seeing problems associated with supply chain disruption while a similar number see lack of access to domestic skills as a risk. By MAKE UK chief executive, Stephen Phipson MAKE uk - the manufacturers’ organisation monthly news comment a Plant which monitors the soil and displays what the plant needs in the form of an emoji. Dr Susan Scurlock MBE, Founder and Chief Executive of Primary Engineer, commented at the award ceremony: “The young people who entered the competition at the outset may not have known what engineering is, but now they know what engineering does – it helps people, saves the planet and makes the world a better place. The quality of the ideas and designs has completely blown us away this year, with it being an exceptionally tough job for the judges to decide the winners from our shortlisted prototypes, all of which have incredible potential to impact the real world. What these inspiring school pupils, university students and engineers have shown us above all else is that “If you were an engineer, what would you do?” is a question that has the potential to change more than we know!” The award is supported by The MacRobert Trust and Weir Group, and Jon Stanton – Chief Executive Office at WEIR Group PLC – was part of the judging panel, as well as presenting the gold medals at the award ceremony. He added: “It’s a fantastic initiative that harnesses the imagination and creativity of school children and showcases what can happen when you engage children in engineering from a young age. Weir is a longstanding industry partner of Primary Engineer, and I was honoured to be part of the judging panel. We’re delighted to celebrate the winners who have demonstrated the very best in engineering and the potential to make an impact in the real world. Congratulations to you all.” School pupils from Edinburgh, Kinross, Linlithgow, Livingston, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sevenoaks made the trip to the ceremony as well as the ProtoTeams which consisted of engineers and students from Edge Hill University, Glasgow Caledonian University, Thales, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Sunderland. The event also marked 10 years of the Leaders Award competition, with Primary Engineer launching have released a book showcasing some of the hundreds of thousands of ideas that have been submitted across the years. Thanks to partnering with InnovateUK, the book was officially launched at the event. This year marked 10 years of the Leaders Award competition, and at this event Primary Engineer launched the book they have published to celebrate a decade of asking the question. “If you were an engineer, what would you do?”. The book, which was done in partnerships with Innovate UK, showcases some of the hundreds of thousands of ideas that have been submitted by school pupils.
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