I had my knuckles metaphorically rapped
recently for describing our company to a prospective customer as ’A
little family business’. Colleagues tell me that I need to get out of
this habit and start talking the company up rather than down. ‘After
all’ they say ‘our publicity states that we are a world leader in what
we do, we are no longer that small’.
Talking
ourselves down is a very British trait. In the days when we still had
the semblance of an Empire and our industry, along with our navy ruled
the waves, we still had the stiff upper lip and a reticence towards
blowing our own trumpet.
Of course,
there are always exceptions to the norm. Who will ever forget Harry
Enfield’s ‘Loads of Money’ character in the Thatcherite 1980s? Or the
misplaced hubris of the dotcom generation? Sometimes, self-confidence
can be mistaken for conceit unless it has solid foundations.
So
are there good reasons for talking ourselves up again? Public sector
cuts are starting to bite, house prices are on a downward spiral and
unemployment is rising rapidly. Even Tesco had a poor Christmas. Despite it all, either by accident or design, the UK
economy is rebalancing itself. Manufacturing is growing at 5.6%, the
fastest rate apparently since Victorian times and the heyday of the
Industrial Revolution. The UK monthly purchasing managers’ indices (PMI) is running at a very healthy 58.3, better than China or India. Something significant is afoot.
Those
wishing to inject a note of caution say that manufacturing only
accounts for 13% of our economy, way down on the glory days of the 1950s
and 60s. Furthermore, overall growth in the UK economy
during the final quarter of 2010 was a much more modest 0.5%. But the
spur for recovery has to start somewhere, so much rather manufacturing
than anything else.
As long as we
can maintain low interest rates and a weak pound, our manufacturing
growth will lead to success in export markets, essential if we are to
become a world player again. The much-maligned banks and government
agencies should give their full backing to this sector, as it gives our
country the greatest hope of a long lasting recovery.
As UK
manufacturing recovers, it is time for the surface finishing sector to
start talking itself up again, as we are the best in the world at what
we do. You may be a little family business in a niche industry on a
small island in a very large world economy. But it is those kinds of
companies that have made us world leaders in the past and will do so
again.
The more new products that
are produced in this country, the more pre-treatments, special coatings
and finishes will be required. It is essential that we try to maintain
our capacity for this kind of work, so that the experience, innovation
and skills base are not lost to other countries.
Our
company will do its best to keep the industry supplied with high value,
low cost equipment to keep the wheels turning during this critical
phase of growth. It is up to others to keep talking the talk on behalf
of all of our excellent British finishing companies.
So, from this world-class little family business in the heart of the Black Country, let’s hope for sustained growth and prosperity in 2011 and a happy new year to all!
