Today, the Made In Group stands as one of the leading membership group for manufacturing companies in the UK, with over 500 members currently forming the Made In family.
However, we recognise the importance of remembering our roots - so we thought we’d take a moment to appreciate the journey that Made in has taken throughout the years.
In 2009, The Made in the Midlands Campaign was launched, spanning an editorial within a local business report publication. Its aim was to give a voice to UK manufacturing firms, as a way of combating the decline of the industry in Britain and to rally against the lack of effort made by the government.
Needless to say, the campaign attracted a lot of attention and support, and soon enough Made in the Midlands was the driving force behind a real, meaningful movement which was
giving agency to manufacturers throughout the region.
The following year, the move from paper to digital was made. The launch of the Made in the Midlands website in 2010 marked the beginning of the group’s online presence, allowing
even more, companies who shared our goals to become a part of the family.
In the following years, the first-ever Made in the Midlands Magazine was published, allowing members to have their stories told in a focused, specialised medium dedicated to the
championing of UK manufacturing. The launch of the magazine also greatly helped to showcase the benefits of being a part of Made In the Midlands to even more companies.
By 2015, the group had established itself and was ready to expand. This expansion came in the form of Made in Yorkshire - though, initially, this venture proved to be more difficult than expected, due to the lack of a local presence in the Yorkshire area. Adapting to this valuable lesson, Made In acquired a company called Manufactured Yorkshire which gave them the assets they needed to make Made in Yorkshire flourish.
From there, the expansion efforts continued as the main office was established in Birmingham. Shortly after, Lord Mike Whitby was appointed as chairman of Made in the Midlands, helping to demonstrate the group’s legitimacy and value within the industry. Lord Whitby would also later be appointed as non-executive chairman of Made in Yorkshire.
The past couple of years have seen the opening of our online help desk, as well as the launch of our Inclusivity Campaign; an ongoing scheme which highlights the need for
diversity across UK manufacturing.
Far from slowing down, 2018 marked the launch of Made in London and the first publication of the Made Report. The first quarter of 2019 announced the consolidation of both the Made in the Midlands and Made in Yorkshire magazines into a single, combined publication. Now, in the last quarter of 2019 the Made in Group has announced the launch of the Back Britain campaign in a bid to act as a beacon of unity amongst the uncertainty.
With plenty more coming down the pipeline, be sure to become a subscriber so that you’ll always be the first to know of any Made in news.
Want to really get involved? Become a member by signing up to either a Freemium or Bronze membership, and get access to a vast network of companies and benefits by becoming a part of the Made In family.