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'Summit' looks to the future
From the Bolton Evening News, first published Monday 16th Sep 2002.
A MAJOR Bolton "summit" will put the spotlight on the North-west's troubled manufacturing industry.
The Manufacturing Institute -- the North West's Regional Centre for Manufacturing Excellence -- is to bring together captains of industry, manufacturing experts, trade union representatives and government leaders for the event at the Reebok Stadium on Friday, October 25.
The theme will be "Making It Into The Future" and the summit, which is backed by the North-west Development Agency, will look at what is needed to secure and enhance the future of regional manufacturing.
Mr Alan Johnson, Minister of State for the Regions and Employment Relations, will be making a keynote address.
He said today: "We should be in no doubt that the success of our manufacturers is crucial to achieving prosperity for all. "Economic development and thousands of jobs in the North-west depend on us securing a vibrant and successful manufacturing base to meet the challenges of global competition.
"This summit aims to build consensus and identify the steps we must take to achieve a long-term vision for manufacturing in the North-west."
Sharing the stage will be Peter Booth, National Organiser Manufacturing for the Transport and General Workers Union, John Getty, chairman of PDS Engineering, Bryan Gray, chairman of the North-west Development Agency, Neville Chamberlain, chairman of the Manufacturing Institute, and directors from major North-west manufacturing companies including Jaguar, BAE Systems and BNFL.
Manufacturing guru Richard J Schonberger will provide insights into the future of UK manufacturing.
Mr Gray said: "Manufacturing matters to the North-west, contributing around 26 per cent of GDP -- much more than the national average.
"In an increasingly competitive global market it is imperative that we all work together to drive up manufacturing competitiveness and productivity in the region."
Anyone interested should register with Anne Campion on 0161 874 3206. The Manufacturing Institute was founded in 1994 by members including ICI, Siemens, ICL, Kellogg's, Colgate Palmolive, Great Lakes Chemicals, Cussons, Akzo Nobel, Airbus UK, Jaguar, BNFL, Alstom and the four universities in Manchester and Salford.
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