The 2011 Winners - UK manufacturing finds itself under the spotlight

Manufacturing in the UK has come in for an unusual amount of scrutiny over the past year. While most of the country is usually content to ignore it – apart from when it’s complaining about its demise – this year, the manufacturing sector has been the subject of two BBC documentary series, along with a variety of newspaper articles both slating a perceived lack of ambition and trying to promote the resurgence of the sector.

This is all a result of the financial crises slipping worryingly into armageddon situations all across Europe. Increasingly, politicians and economists are agreeing that the UK has to boost its exports, rebalance its economy, and grow its way out of trouble – although opinions differ as to how to do that. But manufacturing is clearly a key part of the puzzle and the role of engineers is of obvious importance.

“Collaboration has always been one of the main ways that engineers work: it almost defines the profession”