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Jason Ford
Jason Ford
News Editor
Spotlight on defence and Dyson
The live televised debates between the three leaders of Britain’s main political parties has left some questioning whether they have been an exercise in style over substance.
For this reason, the Monday Briefing would like to focus initially on Dyson, the company whose household products prove that style and substance can coexist.
The company announced today that it is to double its UK engineering team from 350 to 700 and that it will draw a portion of those new recruits from universities to work at its Wiltshire laboratories.
The company will be hiring graduate design engineers, mechanical engineers and acoustic engineers to work at the company where areas of expertise include microbiology, fluid, mechanical, electrical, electro magnetic compatibility, thermal, acoustic and software engineering.
In a company statement, James Dyson said: ‘It is vital that Dyson – and the UK – continues to invest in the nation’s engineering talent if we are to stay ahead.’
Back on the election trail and news that defence secretary Bob Ainsworth is to present Labour’s defence policy today.
So far, Labour has promised a Strategic Defence Review in the next Parliament and no cuts to the Defence Budget in 2010/11. The party further claims that core defence spending is 10 per cent higher in real terms than 1997.
Figures from A|D|S show that the UK defence industry has a 21 per cent market share of the world’s defence export market, employs 300,000 people and is worth around £35bn per year, with an additional £5bn per year on average coming from exports.
Still on the election trail and news that energy secretary Ed Miliband, shadow energy secretary Greg Clark, Lib Dem energy spokesman Simon Hughes and the Green Party’s parliamentary candidate for Lewisham Deptford, Darren Johnson, are to take part in climate change hustings.
Ask the Climate Question, organised by NGOs including Oxfam, WWF, Christian Aid and Greenpeace, will give participants the opportunity to ask the parties about their plans to create new green jobs, invest in clean and secure energy supplies for the UK, and protect vulnerable people in poor countries from the impacts of climate change.
Figures from the Environmental Industries Commission estimate the global market place for green technologies is worth $3tn and growing five per cent annually.
However, a report yesterday in The Sunday Times suggests the UK is not producing commercially viable green companies and that this can be attributed in part to a dependence on government funding and poor manangement in ’green tech’ businesses.
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Readers' comments (19)
Anonymous | 26 Apr 2010 1:02 pm
Would this be the same Dyson that cut 800 UK jobs moving production to the Far East?
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Anonymous | 26 Apr 2010 1:15 pm
As well as the 800 jobs going from transfer to Far East production, you can add the many lost to sub contractors supplying the manufacturing site. Is this man real?
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Anonymous | 26 Apr 2010 1:27 pm
Yes, but at that time
A) Dyson had no choice as the local council would not approve plans for further development of the manufacturing side of the UK Dyson site as it would spoil the surrounding area? Madness. They used to have to bus people in from all over Wiltshore to work at that site.
B) At least he kept the engieering site in the UK. He didn't have to do that at a time when many companies were and still are using cheap Global engineering resources.
Dyson tried at least twice to get agreement on developing his site and both times these were rejected by some very shortsighted people. So yes 800 local jobs were lost but you can't point the finger directly at Dyson.....
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Michael Turvey | 26 Apr 2010 1:38 pm
Given that Dyson has been one of the leading advisory lights in formulating Tory Policy on the future of British Engineering and that he was a key-note speaker on the subject at the Conservative Party Conference it is difficult to describe Cameron's policy as "style" contrasting from Dyson's "substance"! Dyson's substance is Cameron's policy.
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Mark Lock - Midas technologies (GB) Ltd | 26 Apr 2010 1:49 pm
Through adversity he continues to persevere as do a significant number of SME's.In his early days he did it to realise his dream, he doesn't have to now as an individual but he still does for the good of the UK's innovation skills. It would appear that the majority do not like change and do not want to be subjected to the extreme pressures that these inflict on them, so it is left to the few to fight on in any way that they can. Radical changes are what are required of the next government, an economical and effective restructuring of UK PLC to reduce its enormous overheads and bring it back to profitability so that we all (who contirbute to the UK PLC team) reap the dividends.
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Ed Neale | 26 Apr 2010 1:51 pm
While the UK Government continues to make it commercially unattractive for companies like Dyson to manufacture in this country, who can blame them for shifting production overseas? Surely it's better for us that these companies remain profitable and at least continue to be able to employ top level R&D talent in the UK.
Ultimately, we all want to see jobs remaining in this country, but it seems it'll take more than just James Dyson speaking out to make the Government sit up and listen.
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Jonathan Hamilton | 26 Apr 2010 2:04 pm
To criticise Dyson for outsourcing manufacturing to the far east is a very short-sighted point of view. Dyson himself expressly said that it was absolutely necessary to remain competitive. Would you rather he kept UK manufacturing here and sink the brand as a result!
I agree that it is a good thing that he has kept R&D here in the UK and it's great to see such excellent innovations such as the recent high speed BDC motor as well as the massive expansion in R&D. To add anything but support to this move is cynical in the extreme.
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Michael Libman | 26 Apr 2010 3:34 pm
Dyson has done everything in his power to keep as much in the UK as possible but has found the situation difficult by short sighted local government and poor policies from a Labour government who also promise to increase national insurance which will make it even more difficult to keep manufacturers in this country.
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Editor's comments | 26 Apr 2010 3:34 pm
Point of Order, Mr Libman: The Conservatives say they're going to raise National Insurance too, albeit by three percentage points less than Labour.
Ed Neale | 26 Apr 2010 3:58 pm
Interesting figures from the VoteManufacturing site:
"If our manufacturers exported 10% more and we bought 10% less from manufacturers overseas, the annual balance of payments would improve by £45 billion. That’s more than the entire financial sector now contributes and enough to create a positive payments balance that could remove £200 billion of debt in 10 years."
How much will a raise in NI produce? £3bn and with the likelihood of a further negative impact on jobs...
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kaimagpie | 26 Apr 2010 4:05 pm
Obviously it's less foreign for Dyson to start manufacturing in Malaysia then look seriously for sites in Northern England. Maybe the North South divide played its part in the decision process. However Dyson needed to show commitment overseas in order to elevate into a major global player. As far as clearners are concerned I prefer the Miele though I neither own this nor a Dyson as I can't see the point of throwing away my old Goblin as it still works quite well, I can break it down & service it, & I am still waiting for the waste recycling industry to come up with satisfactory materials reclaim facilities.
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