Awards to bring manufacturing home, says Duke
The chairman of Stoke-on-Trent pottery company Wade has told Insider he hopes the Made in the Midlands awards encourage companies to start looking at local suppliers rather than outsourcing overseas.
Edward Duke said he hoped that recognition from the awards, which take place tomorrow (Tuesday 1 November) night, put more confidence back into the Midlands as the UK's manufacturing heartland.
He said he hoped companies would start to "bring back their outsourced products from the Far East and make them again in the UK".
Wade currently turns over £12m a year, but expect to grow sales to more than £20m by 2016. It has been nominated for two Made in the Midlands awards; manufacturing innovation and company of the year.
"I've been manufacturing for over 45 years and unfortunately have lived through the decline of British manufacturing in favour of a culture of service industries," said Duke.
"We all now know, to our cost, that the service industry culture can go horribly wrong and that cheap Far East labour rates are reaching UK rate levels as I always knew they would. I believe that recognition from this award and its related press could well encourage others to bring back their outsourced products from the Far East and make them again in the UK.
"Perhaps this is the turning point I have dreamed of for so long".
It's your last chance to book tickets for Insider's inaugural Made in the Midlands event, which takes place on Tuesday 1 November.
The evening will offer manufacturers the opportunity to meet together and as always with events such as this, to make new contacts and to gain valuable insight from talking to others in the same industry.
For more information and ticket sales, please click here or contact Kate Marshall on 0161 907 9741.
