Product category:
Automotive Industry Process News
News Release from: The Manufacturer Live | Subject: The Manufacturer Live
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 15 September 2005
Is UK Car Production plc dead?
Is the UK able to sustain a viable automotive manufacturing industry? That's the controversial question that will be hotly debated at a manufacturing summit in Telford later this month
Is the UK able to sustain a viable automotive manufacturing industry? That's the controversial question that will be hotly debated at a manufacturing summit in Telford later this month High material and labour costs, European over-capacity, and the never-ending march of low cost, high quality overseas competition are threatening the UK capability for building cars competitively or profitably, and the MG Rover collapse was just one symptom of its malaise
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 21 Jul 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
How to combat cheap manufactured imports
The Manufacturer Live 2005 is a two day summit to be attended by more than 2000 manufacturing decision makers, setting out to equip the industry to keep the threat of cheap overseas imports at bay
Best laid plans scuppered by bad IT
The best laid plans of manufacturing companies are all too often scuppered by inadequate or inappropriate IT systems, a summit of industry leaders will hear at The Manufacturer Live 2005 in Telford
That will be the subject of debate at The Automotive Forum to be held on the second day of The Manufacturer Live 2005 event at the Telford International Centre on September 28 and 29.
The high-powered debate will be led by a distinguished panel which includes Bryan McGinity, managing director of the Skills4Auto academy, Bill Faulk, quality director of Jaguar Land Rover, Luke Bennett, production operations manager of Lotus Cars , Malcolm Bird, quality and sustainability director of GKN Driveline, Jonathan Guthrie of The Financial Times and John Price, general manager of Remploy.
Delegates will be able to join in the debate which will look at the ups and downs of the automotive industry which have been thrown into sharp focus in 2005.
Further reading
Millions of Pounds to aid UK manufacturers
Millions of pounds worth of help and advice will be on offer to UK manufacturers at a high-powered manufacturing summit in Telford later this month
Learn from high flying aerospace sector
Other UK manufacturing industries can learn lessons from the country's high flying aerospace sector, according to business leaders speaking at a manufacturing summit in Telford later this month
Efficiency gurus on stage at manufacturing summit
The leading gurus on manufacturing efficiency from the UK and the US will be presenting from the same stage in two mouth-watering sessions at a top UK manufacturing summit
With the seemingly indestructible giants of Ford, GM and Volkswagen rocked to the shock absorbers by demand downturns across Europe and North America, and MG Rover failing in the face of world competition, is it time to ask if the UK should be concentrating on things other than building motor cars unprofitably? The two day Manufacturer Live 2005 event will be attended by more than 2000 manufacturing decision makers who will hear from around 50 speakers from leading companies hosting workshops, seminars and debates on UK manufacturing's big issues.
Glen White, group chief executive of Conquest Business Media which organises the Telford event said the Automotive Forum was a valuable opportunity to debate searching questions - and maybe even the unthinkable.
"This forum will provide a moment to draw breath to understand the challenge of sustaining a viable automotive sector in the UK, and to establish what is required by those in the supply chain to secure their part in it," he said.
The Manufacturer Live 2005 is set to be even bigger and better than last year's event.
Senior figures from across all manufacturing sectors will deliver presentations on all aspects of the manufacturing process.
The event, which is sponsored by Barclays and supported by the DTI, will be held at the Telford International Centre on September 28 and 29.
It will offer manufacturers the chance to learn from their peers and share their own best practice, and will include the prestigious Manufacturer of the Year Awards.
The presentations and exhibitions will be based around the "seven pillars" of manufacturing excellence: leadership and strategy, design and innovation, world class manufacturing, skills and HR, logistics and supply chain, IT in manufacturing and manufacturing operations.
Andy Martin, head of UK manufacturing at Barclays said the bank was delighted to be the corporate sponsor of The Manufacturer Live 2005.
"As the leading bank covering the UK manufacturing industry, we are committed to helping the industry grow and remain competitive on a global scale.
We believe The Manufacturer Live is the perfect forum for people who share both this commitment and the desire to promote and share best practice.
This year's event is particularly important given the current challenges facing the industry, and we are very pleased to be associated with it".
At the end of the first day, the event is punctuated with the culmination of The Manufacturer Awards 2005, a benchmark awards programme recognising excellence in the seven pillars of manufacturing, with additional sector awards for automotive, aerospace and process.
The awards will be presented at a 750 seat gala dinner.
The winner of winners award for Manufacturer of the Year was won last year by BAE Systems, Edinburgh.
• The Manufacturer Live: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Processingtalk email newsletter
• Processingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
