TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY
BOARD News Release issued by The Government News Network on 8 May 2008
ADDING VALUE AND
INNOVATING - TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY BOARD OUTLINES ITS PROPOSALS TO
ENSURE BRITISH MANUFACTURING REMAINS COMPETITIVE
* Investment in innovation required if the UK is to remain one of
the world's leading manufacturing nations.
* Technology
Strategy Board to invest in UK manufacturing companies to help
them maintain and develop their international competitiveness.
UK businesses must respond to the challenges facing the
manufacturing sector from global competition by accelerating its
move towards high value products, processes and services.
This was the message from the Technology Strategy Board today as
it outlined its proposals to invest in the development of the
UK's manufacturing industry. At the launch of its three-year
strategic plan in London, the Technology Strategy Board today set
out its proposals for UK industry to respond to the challenges
brought about by the lowering of economic barriers to trade, the
reduction in transport costs, the effect of communications
technology - and the gravitation of manufacturing to countries of
lowest overall cost.
Speaking at today's launch, the Technology Strategy
Board's lead technologist for advanced manufacturing, Peter
Flinn, said: "Manufacturing in comparatively high wage
economies such as the UK, has had to change radically to remain
globally competitive. Rapid change will continue for the
foreseeable future and the continuing development path for
manufacturing in the UK is one where its composition will continue
to move away from the traditional areas towards high-value,
knowledge-intensive goods. The emphasis of activity will not just
be on production, but will embrace provision of lifetime service,
around a manufactured product."
In its strategy paper High Value Manufacturing 2008 - 2011, the
Technology Strategy Board explains that the challenge for UK
manufacturers is to remain competitive in this changing
environment, which in turn translates into being continually
innovative. Against this background, the Technology Strategy
Board's broad aim is to invest in UK manufacturing companies
to maintain and develop their international competitiveness. This
aim will be achieved by focusing on innovation in four broad
areas, that may be regarded as the four pillars of high value manufacturing:
- Products
- Processes
- Service Systems
- Value Systems
The key recommendations of the strategy document are that the
Technology Strategy Board should, over the period 2008 - 2011,
invest in the development of UK manufacturing industry by:
- Running broadly-based collaborative research & development
programmes, as well as scoping studies, proof-of-concept and
demonstration projects, covering a wide range of industries;
-
Investing in knowledge transfer particularly through engagement
with business and the science base;
- Supporting skills
development;
- Promoting international engagement by investing
in scoping studies which identify issues and barriers to the
global success of UK manufacturing
Peter Flinn added: "The overall aim is for the Technology
Strategy Board to invest in the development of the UK to maintain
its place as one of the world's leading manufacturing
locations. The UK has a broad range of world-class manufacturing
companies, both small and large, and has demonstrated how a nation
can evolve from a traditional manufacturing base by applying
modern manufacturing philosophies and by applying technology. We
want to present the UK as a country where high value manufacturing
can prosper."
Notes to Editors
1. The Technology Strategy Board's strategy for High Value
Manufacturing was announced on 8 May 2008, coinciding with the
launch of the Board's strategic plan for the next three years
(Connect and Catalyse: A strategy for business innovation,
2008-2011). Please visit http://www.innovateuk.org for
further information.
2. The Technology Strategy Board is a business-led executive
non-departmental public body, established by the government. Its
mission is to promote and support research into, and development
and exploitation of, technology and innovation for the benefit of
UK business, in order to increase economic growth and improve the
quality of life. It is sponsored by the Department for Innovation,
Universities and Skills (DIUS). For further information please
visit http://www.innovateuk.org.
3. Manufacturing globally is a key provider of wealth and
employment, accounting for $4.4 trillion of value-added
world-wide. Using the conventional international definition of
manufacturing, the United Kingdom is the sixth largest
manufacturer by Gross Value Added (GVA) in the world and has an
industry which accounts for 14% - 15% of Gross Domestic product
(GDP) and 50% - 55% of exports, as well as employing 3 million
people. A wider definition, including industrial services,
construction and oil & gas, results in a GDP contribution
closer to 27%. Manufacturing is also one of the primary mechanisms
for realising wealth from new technologies and is therefore
critical to the UK.
Issued by
Technology Strategy Board
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