Recognising
the role that high value manufacturing could
play in the future competitiveness of the
Cambridgeshire and East of England region,
GCP and EEDA asked the IfM to investigate
the way in which young and growing companies
make manufacturing decisions. While commoditised
production has moved and will continue to
move to lower cost economies, high value
manufacturing could be a significant source
of growth, taking advantage of the dynamic
world class research base of the region.
The approach
taken in the project was to interview companies
and develop case studies which can be used
as examples of how these companies make
manufacturing decisions. In this way, the
lessons the companies have learnt can be
disseminated to other companies facing similar
issues.
As well as the
case studies, the project team reviewed
the models of public support in other countries
(for example the United States) for growing
manufacturing companies, compared the different
types of support that exist in the regions
of England, and finally began mentoring
the companies involved in the case studies.
Over the
first year of the project, two workshops
were held to discuss these issues with companies,
eighteen companies were interviewed in depth
and twelve case studies have been prepared.
The project team intends to continue working
with these and other companies in the Cambridge
region, mentoring them as they make these
difficult decisions on how best to engage
in manufacturing in order to ensure their
growth and survival.
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