The Welsh Manufacturing Sector Must Think Globally

The Welsh manufacturing sector must think globally and capitalize on opportunities presented by overseas markets after Brexit. Speaking at the inaugural Barclays Welsh Manufacturing event at SPTS Technologies in Newport, Mr. Cairns said, “the world-leading skills and knowledge we have in Wales is envied the world over”. Turning to the City Deal for Cardiff, the Secretary of State said it had come about as a direct result of the desire for businesses in the semiconductor sector to work together and develop their cluster of expertise and this now has to be raised to the next level to build on the opportunities to boost productivity and lower costs. He said this City Deal and another for Swansea were driven by requests from participants, business, and academia, and he urged the manufacturing sector to come together and agree on their priorities and desires and to seek Government support to achieve them in a similar way to the City Deals concept. Simon Little, Head of Manufacturing for Barclays in Wales, said all the feedback they were getting from a wide range of industries was that more financial providers in public and private sector are now returning to support manufacturing and Finance Wales was being singled out for its unique position in the UK and its pro-active operations.