The Made in Group has launched a year-long campaign, Backing Britain, to act as a beacon of unity and to restore confidence in Britain during these uncertain political times. With a community of over 500 manufacturers, we sat down with members to discuss how they are Backing Britain and why being part of the Made in group is important for this.
What is Backing Britain?
30th January will mark the third event in the Backing Britain calendar, heading back to the Midlands, the event will be held at Boneham and Turner, members of MiM. This thriving event aims to bring together a community of manufacturers and create a positive outlook on the future of manufacturing in Britain. Industry leaders from across the Midlands will take to the stage to discuss how manufacturers across the nation can promote British industry to safeguard its future and create a lasting legacy.
Summing up what the campaign intends to achieve, CEO of the Made in Group, Jason Pitt said:
“If you look back in history, whenever we have faced a challenge, we have come together. For the last 3 years, we had uncertainty, negativity, division and clear lack of leadership. There is no solution in remaining divided, we need to compromise and come together.”
The Made in Group aims to reach as many manufacturers as possible across the Midlands and Yorkshire region, in the name of championing the manufacturing sector. MiG has asked all members who attend the event to invite a VIP guest of their choice from a fellow manufacturing and engineering business inside the Midlands region to attend on 30th January.
How are Made members Backing Britain?
As part of the Made group, the members are a prime example of businesses Backing Britain by being part of a community of like-minded manufacturers. But, what else are members doing to Back Britain? And why is this important to them?
Made in Yorkshire member and Sheffield based manufacturer Stauff are experts in the manufacturing of hydraulic components. With branches in the UK also in Aberdeen, Ireland and Southampton, we spoke to John Morris, Managing director of Stauff in Sheffield. John said now is a more important time than ever to back Britain and that businesses should do this by supporting each other and the local community. he added:
“We buy as much as we can in the UK goods or services – we are members of Made in Sheffield, Made in Yorkshire, the British Fluid Power Association and The EEF.”
“We are very proud of our Sheffield heritage and focus on promoting quality products and workmanship Made in Britain.”
In addition to Backing Britain by supporting local people and buying British products, John also added why it is important to be part of the Made in Group:
“The Made in Group represents local manufacturers and understands the collective issues we face and can also bolster these up with similar issues other Made in areas may be having and either fight our cause.”
“The group also promotes our services and can bring together local companies to work on projects that we may otherwise not have had a chance on.”
Colebridge Enterprises, an outsource service on assembly and packing, supports individuals with disabilities along with those who are socially excluded and long term employed to integrate them into a working routine, helping build their confidence.
Chetan Parmar, CEO of Colebridge Enterprises, thinks Backing Britain is about working together and supporting each other. He said:
“As a collective, we can address multiple issues in terms of productivity, inclusivity, import, export and business development. Opportunities to build upon the strengths of other organisations and support the weaknesses of others to ensure that we have a thriving manufacturing sector.”
“Backing Britain has to include backing our people - people that choose to live in Britain.”
As a social enterprise that employs individuals with disabilities, Chet said they Back Britain by providing employment and work-based experiences for people who are furthest from employment, within one of the most deprived areas of the Midlands. He added:
“We provide training and mentoring within our assembly and component kitting operation to get people up-to-speed and after a short while, we are able to support people into mainstream employment. “
“A large part of our team are learning disabled or have learning difficulties. We also do not see age as a barrier with our new General Manager being over 75 with over 50 years of manufacturing experience from the likes of Land Rover and JCB.”
Chet continued by adding how the Made in the Midlands membership has benefited the enterprise and how the Made Equal campaign suits their objectives:
“Made In provides an opportunity to connect with potential customers, which is very important due to our limited business development capacity. We are also able to support Inclusivity work, which allows us to demonstrate that a diverse workforce can be a productive one.”
“We also gain a lot of knowledge through the news, events and networking. All of the people that we meet have something to offer and as a somewhat unique organisation it is great to be a part of a collective!”
Attend the next Backing Britain and help us champion the manufacturing sector, click on the link below to find out more.
https://madeinthemidlands.com/events/83142865549