February 2012 sees Platts & Nisbett celebrate 35 Years of British Manufacturing excellence. Quite an achievement considering the difficult times the manufacturing industry has faced over the years.

During recent times we have seen the complete migration of some industries to the Far East, particularly those involving high volume products. Foreign competition means that low cost commodities can no longer be produced in the UK, however high quality merchandise can still be made here. The demand in the lucrative export market is very high for the prestige brands where price is not the issue.

There are many successful British manufacturing companies who have spent years perfecting their products, and are now choosing to move their manufacturing processes overseas. Whilst these decisions are dictated by profit margins and are understandable, it is a shame for the British economy and the country itself. Perhaps there is a need to educate the public to buy British wherever they can, helping our economy to grow and use manufacturing (which is the third largest sector in the UK) to help drive us out of the recession. There was a time when ‘Made in Britain’ was a very proud statement for manufacturers, and it gave consumers confidence that they were buying a quality product.

There have been many ‘Buy British’ initiatives over the years. Perhaps the most famous was the ‘I’m Backing Britain’ campaign in the late 1960’s. It began in December 1967 when five secretaries at a heating company volunteered to work an extra half hour each day without pay to do their bit for a flagging economy. Their idea took off and gathered momentum with other companies soon following suit. Union Jacks started to appear everywhere, the government endorsed the campaign and popular newspapers threw their weight behind it.

Lord Sugar has recently given his support to the manufacturing industry, suggesting that the government should consider a new initiative to encourage people to ‘Buy British’.

In 2011 some large British Retailers have joined the cause, with John Lewis being amongst the first to launch a campaign to champion British manufacturing. A ‘Made in UK’ Logo will now appear to highlight their British made products.

Stoves, the Merseyside cooker company, has also launched a ‘Made in Britain’ campaign and is inviting British Manufacturers to get on board. They have called for a standard ‘Made in Britain’ marque to be applied to all products manufactured in the UK. This came after research uncovered widespread confusion amongst consumers about ‘Made in Britain’ goods. The findings revealed that 67% want an official seal of approval to show products made in Britain, and 52% think British brands should bring their manufacturing back to the UK. To date the campaign has received national press coverage, as well as backing from prominent MPs and UK manufacturers.

The UK could have a niche role in the manufacture of higher value products, but if we are to carry this forward then the government must help to assist employers with providing training and apprenticeships. Over the years we have spent thousands of pounds teaching our apprentices the skills they require to manufacture our surgical instruments, however the true value of manufacturing cannot be purely measured in economic terms. It is difficult to value it in terms of the skills you would lose and the difficulties in replacing them if manufacture was moved abroad.

The next time you look at buying a surgical instrument, just ask yourself where it was made and how confident you are that it will perform as well as it should. These decisions should not be purely based on cost, but also take the quality into consideration. Patient safety must come first and foremost.

Please give your support to the ‘Made in Britain’ campaign, and here’s to another 35 years!