There are hundreds of manufacturing businesses in the UK, this page includes just a few examples in the following manufacturing sectors:
This video introduces the Rolls Royce Aerospace company, based in Derby, UK.
Find out more on the Rolls Royce website.
Information from UK Manufacturing Statistics:
100,000+ direct jobs in UK Aerospace
Annual earnings = £24.2bn
Revenue: £12.4bn
75% of turnover to export markets
17% global market share
This video provides an overview of the automotive industry in Britain; a very successful area of UK manufacturing.
This video (filmed in 2011) discusses JCB's success and compares the growth of JCB with overall trends in manufacturing in the UK.
Sir Antony Bamford, chairman of JCB, also mentions areas where government support would help the UK manufacturing industry.
Information from UK Manufacturing Statistics:
£6bn investment in past two years 2.6 million cars registered in the UK 2013
Two out of the top 10 selling cars for 2013, the Vauxhall Astra (4th) and the Nissan Qashqai (6th), are made in the UK, while the Ford Fiesta was the UK’s best selling car.
1.58m vehicles (81% exported) and 2.5m engines (62% exported) made in the UK last year
2,350 automotive suppliers in UK, employing 82,000 people
Typically £55bn annual turnover, £27bn revenue in 2011
720,000 employed across automotive industry, 140,000 directly employed in manufacturing
More than 75,000 young people employed as apprentices over the last 5 years. 18,000 in automotive retail at any one time.
In 2012 the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable, visited BAE Systems in Samlesbury.
This video includes his views on his visit to Samlesbury and the importance of enterprise zones and UK manufacturing.
Information from UK Manufacturing Statistics:
£35bn annual UK turnover
The UK is the world’s second biggest defence exporter behind the US
Employs 300,000 overall in the UK 9,000 defence companies including small businesses exist in the UK
BAE Systems – the UK’s largest defence company – currently employs 40,000 domestically
10% of UK manufacturing is made up by defence
Information from UK Manufacturing Statistics and CIA:
£60bn revenue in 2012
600,000 people are currently employed in the industry
Represents 15% of UK manufacturing GVA
Has an average employee cost of £42,000 per head
Added £20m to the UK balance of trade every day for the last twenty years
The UK economy has grown for the fifth consecutive quarter, and is now just below the level it was before the recession began in 2008.
The figures are fuelled by strong performances in the service sector, construction and manufacturing - including by small businesses.
One of those thriving is British chocolate manufacturing company Montezuma's, started by two married lawyers.
The BBC's Steph McGovern took a guided tour of their factory with co-founder Helen Pattinson. (Source: Youtube)
Information from UK Manufacturing Statistics and FDF:
Turnover of £76bn in 2012, the UK’s largest manufacturing sector
Accounts for 15% of all UK manufacturing GVA Employs 400,000 workers domestically, 15% of manufacturing workforce
Exports over £12bn of food and non-alcoholic drink products a year, 77% of which go to the EU Invested over £1bn in to R&D in 2011, resulting in over 8,500 new products
Businesses have reduced rate of injuries by over 50% over the last 20 years
This very informative video looks at the future of the British Steel Industry.
Information from UK Manufacturing Statistics and Scribd:
Contributed £2.9bn to the UK balance of trade in 2011
More waste steel is recovered in the UK and recycled than all other materials combined
Each tonne of scrap recycled by the industry saves 1.9 tonnes of iron ore and 0.6 tonnes of coal
This 2011 video, discusses the history of the Lancashire cotton mills.
The video focuses on the Lancashire Textiles company.
Information from UK Manufacturing Statistics:
Comprises over 79,000 businesses, employing over 340,000 people
Gross value added for the sector in the UK is estimated at over £11.5 billion, with GVA per head measured at an average of £34,220
North Yorkshire LCD TV brand Cello Electronics announces the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. The video includes information on the benefits of having the facility based in the UK.
Information from UK Manufacturing Statistics:
Worth £78bn a year
Is the world’s fifth largest in terms of production
Employs over 850,000 people
This makes up 2.9% of the UK’s workforce
In semiconductors, almost 80% of the activity comes from foreign direct investment
The UK is home to 40% of Europe’s semiconductor design houses
This video is created by a training centre for the construction industry.
It provides a good overview of the various skills that are involved in the construction process.
Information from UK Manufacturing Statistics
1 in 14 of the UK workforce is employed in construction – nearly 2 million people
Provides 88,000 new job opportunities yearly Employs just under 200,000 women in the sector
More than 35% of construction employees run their own companies
More than a quarter of employers have recruited a school leaver in the last 2-3 years
Nearly 50% of employers in the building services engineering industry take part in the modern apprenticeship scheme
This video is an advert for Marks and Spencers' range of furniture.
Notice that it is highlighted that the furniture is 'Made in Great Britain'
Information from UK Manufacturing Statistics and The Chesterfield Company:
Over 100,000 employees within the trade UK market set to surpass £15bn by 2018
£10.73bn revenue in 2012
7.5% of overall furniture sales are made online, a figure which is increasing Living room furniture dominates the market share by as much as 90%
This video gives an example of an apprenticeship in the UK furniture industry.
This video, from May 2013, looks at the Barkley Plastics manufacturing company.
It discusses the positive trends in manufacturing within the UK.
Information from UK Manufacturing Statistics and BPF
7,500 companies in the sector
£19bn turnover
Exports valued at £6.7bn
35% of manufactured plastics products exported
Employs 180,000 people
2.5m tonnes of plastics materials produced annually
This excerpt from the BBC 2 programme 'Made in Britain' looks at the history of British bicycle manufacturing.