Quarter of manufacturers say business lost already – Make UK survey
Britain’s manufacturers are calling for urgent air bridges and the rules on quarantine to be relaxed as a matter of urgency amid the first evidence of the significant damage being caused to exports and customer interaction for companies. The impact comes as the air freight market demand is predicted to remain uncertain in the short to medium term with challenging predictions in price and route options.
The call was made by Make UK, the manufacturers’ organisation on the back of a survey showing that two fifths of companies say the rules have impacted on their business (41%), while one quarter (24%) of companies have already lost business as a direct result of the rules. Furthermore, a third of companies say it has impacted on their ability to visit new customers, another third say it has affected their ability to visit existing customers and 16% say it is affecting service and maintenance. Just a fifth of companies say they don’t believe they will be impacted by the current rules.
In response, Make UK believes it is essential to boost manufacturers by relaxing the rules immediately and introducing air bridges so that companies are able to export goods as the economy begins to open up, especially given the UK is already significantly behind major competitors in coming out of lockdown.
The survey of 246 companies was conducted between 17 and 24 June.
“This is a bold and welcome announcement which will start
the process of building business confidence and healing the economy. The
key now is to ensure that these projects get off the ground as a matter of
urgency so that the benefits flow down through supply chains, safeguarding and
creating as many jobs as possible across all UK regions.
“The funding for schools and FE colleges is especially
welcome given they provide the talent pipeline from which industry will draw
its workforce of the future. To build on this we need to see a commitment to
boosting Apprenticeships which will provide the technical and digital skills of
the new industrial age into which the crisis has catapulted many companies.
“Since the start of the crisis Industry has shown just how
far it can adapt to meet the needs of the country. It now stands ready to
put its shoulder to the wheel of rebuilding our economy and, if it is provided
with the right tools to do the job, then the sector will deliver.”
