Bus manufacturer Optare has announced that it will keep its main manufacturing operation in Yorkshire after signing a 17 year lease on a new 140,000 sq ft factory in Sherburn in Elmet. It is the first new bus assembly plant to open in the UK for 40 years. Facilities at the new plant will allow the company to build up to 1,200 buses a year. According to reports on

Posted by guest blogger, David Raistrick UK manufacturing industry leader for Deloitte, based in Leeds

Despite another oil crisis looming, a recent survey carried out by Deloitte show that mass adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is still a distance away.  According to the survey, only 16 per cent of European consumers identify themselves as potential first movers, while 53 per cent say they might be willing to consider…

Adverse weather conditions had a major impact on the UK economy in the last quarter, according to media pundits and economists. Why has snow hit the economy so badly this winter and how come manufacturing bucked the trend?

Two words – ‘carbon’ and ‘people’ sum up the biggest challenges facing manufacturing, according to CEO and chaiman of GSM Group Barry Dodd. Speaking this week at a manufacturing lunch organised by Leeds Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by law firm Irwin Mitchell, he argued that rising fuel costs in energy and logistics combined with new ‘carbon taxes’ will make it critical for business,…

Results of the latest survey of members of Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber shows a stong growth in export sales and orders amongst manufacturers and an increase in the number of businesses recruiting. Key findings show:

• Manufacturers reported 33% growth in export sales and 11% growth in export orders, the largest reported improvements in over two years
• Matched by a 27% increase in sales in the

…

Just finished working through a report from PWC on The Future of UK Manufacturing. Hard going but some really interesting analysis and observations in there. As the report’s sub-heading puts it, reports of the death of manufacturing in the UK are greatly exaggerated but the sector faces major challenges if it is to retain critical mass in the long term.

It also bursts the bubble of some popular misconceptions. The…

Much has been made of the success of the Government’s car “scrappage” scheme, but this week’s ITV1 programme posed some interesting questions on the claims.

While UK car salesmen and delivery drivers are understandably rubbing their hands, it appears overseas manufacturers are the main beneficiaries. Volkswagen manufacturing plants in Germany are working seven days a week to churn out extra volume to meet the increased British demand and imports from…