Success in manufacturing is vital for the UK – Minister speaks at MACH 2008 opening
April 28th 2008

Ian Pearson, Minister Science and Innovation, officially opened MACH 2008 with a speech highlighting the importance of manufacturing  to the UK economy and the Government’s continuing commitment to help build the manufacturing industry by working together.

The Minister revealed that the industry is close to his heart, “I was born in the black country, the heart of the industrial revolution, so manufacturing is coded into my DNA,  Success in manufacturing is vital for the UK to be a successful economy and I am delighted to see the world beating UK manufacturing excellence on show at MACH 2008.

”It is a privilege to open MACH 2008. I’m looking forward to meeting industry figures and seeing the world beating new products and processes on display.”

The Minister continued that he wished to see innovation flourish in the economy, particularly high value added businesses: “We [the Government] need to be more innovative using Government procurement to encourage innovation. I would like to say how important manufacturing is to the economy, the industry is constantly changing and evolving.”

The Minister referred to some of the UK’s manufacturing technologies companies exhibiting at MACH praising their commitment to R&D and innovation. The Minister also 
re-inforced the Government’s commitment to skills saying that manufacturing has a part to play in development and training of employees to upgrade their skills.

The Minister’s speech was complimented by Geoff Lloyd who echoed the sentiment of Mr Pearson – that manufacturing and MACH are of key importance to the UK, “MACH is not a show, it represents the heartbeat of the industry. The Prime Minister and Cabinet have no more important people to meet and understand than our manufacturers who are vital to the economy. The credit crunch shows the service industry cannot support the bedrock of this country – manufacturing can!”

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