Blog from Jason Whitworth, partner and manufacturing expert based at BDO in Leeds

There’s no denying the region’s manufacturing businesses have had a tough time, but we are starting to see Yorkshire’s resilient nature pay off, as more companies report signs of improving demand and are looking to the future with greater confidence about prospects for recovery.

We have seen a larger than expected improvement in output and…

UK Manufacturing recorded its strongest growth for 23 years in March, according to the National Institute for Economic and Social Research. Manufacturing output grew by 2.3% in March – the sharpest rise since 1987 – strengthening growth within the wider economy and suggesting that the recovery is more secure than previously thought.

The rise in output has been driven by a…

A cautious cup of seasonal cheer in that conditions in the UK’s manufacturing sector continued to improve in the final quarter. But the report by the manufacturers organisation EEF and professional services firm BDO states that signs of a strong rebound in 2010 remain elusive.

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…