UK's manufacturing challenges

Whether you agree with the current BREXIT arguments or not, the reality is that all manufacturing organisations are at the mercy of global markets. One of the frustrating aspects that this can bring is that you can develop a highly skiiled workforce who produce fantastic quality products but then find themselves being undercut by cheaper imports or a lack of demand due to oversupply or a currency market golng against them.

At a recent seminar a debate took place about how can you protect a skiiled workforce when what they produce is not attractive to the market. The consensus from the floor was that sadly that there is no 'magic bullet' unless a government intervenes. In the short term this may at least create a stay of execution until a buyer is found. The reality is though is that those buyers tend to be asset strippers or at the very least cost cutters.

Alternatively,if the government where to nationalise an industry then the long term trouble with that is that sadly you then create a false market/economy. Everybody wants to retain highly skilled workers and also have indigenous industries that can manufacture products for both a receptive domestic market and one which attracts overseas buyers. The problem is that you create a situation where an entity is 'propped' up for the sake of it, which does atleast save jobs but then you are producing something that there is no demand for. Sadly there appears to be no easy solution for the work force.