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What can be done to help manufacturing in the United Kingdom?

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Jason T
Jason T
Posts: 7421
Joined: 14th Apr 2004
Location: UK
quotePosted at 14:48 on 23rd January 2009

We seem to have sold up everything!!   manufacturing has mainly been taken abroad for cheaper overheads, food is shipped in from thousands of miles away while our farmers who, in most cases produce superior products, go out of business or turn to the leisure industry. It seems to be pretty much across the board. And i think we seem to be waking up and saying hey....what have we done!   we used to be self sufficient, but now we're having to rely on everyone else, and suffer inferior products!!! 

Saying that, its so expensive to run a business in the UK, it makes it very easy for this kind of thing to happen, and very difficult to stay afloat.

 I think people are slowly realising you get what you pay for, and hopefully in the long run it can turn around. Just lets hope enough people realise to make the difference!!

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Ron Brind
Ron Brind
Posts: 19041
Joined: 26th Oct 2003
Location: England
quotePosted at 17:19 on 23rd January 2009
Very well put Jason. Lets start by getting rid of this joke of a Government and then maybe we at least stand a chance. I said somewhere in another thread we have sold everything, our oil from the north sea will run out within 10 years, and London the finance centre of the world is completely stuffed! We will be a third world country within 20 years!!
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Jason T
Jason T
Posts: 7421
Joined: 14th Apr 2004
Location: UK
quotePosted at 17:29 on 23rd January 2009
Its not just industry and farming though, we also have a LOT of sponging people here! and i'm not just talking imigrants, there's plenty of people who are happy not to lift a finger, or pretent they can't just to get benifits!!  its sinking the country, we all pay for them, but the percentage of people paying must be getting a bit uneven now!! i mean it can't support itself if more are taking than giving!!
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Ron Brind
Ron Brind
Posts: 19041
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Location: England
quotePosted at 17:39 on 23rd January 2009
Agree absolutely Jason and I could write a whole lot more if I were allowed (Isn't that exactly the problem?) It really is time for change, not just this nasty Government but as you suggest, the way we the Brits think!
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Steve & Nadine Wornham
Steve & Nadine Wornham
Posts: 13
Joined: 21st Jan 2009
Location: UK
quotePosted at 00:28 on 24th January 2009
On 23rd January 2009 17:29, Jason T wrote:
Its not just industry and farming though, we also have a LOT of sponging people here! and i'm not just talking imigrants, there's plenty of people who are happy not to lift a finger, or pretent they can't just to get benifits!!  its sinking the country, we all pay for them, but the percentage of people paying must be getting a bit uneven now!! i mean it can't support itself if more are taking than giving!!


Hi Jason

 

There are approx 10 million receiving some kind of benefit. 1.7 million are long term unemployed, the rest are students, carers, retirees, mums, disabled, people working but on low income, etc, etc. A lot of them are genuinely receiving some kind of benefit which doesn't bother me. However I am pleased to hear that the government plans to make the unemployed work for their benefits.

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Jason T
Jason T
Posts: 7421
Joined: 14th Apr 2004
Location: UK
quotePosted at 10:39 on 24th January 2009

 Hi Steve,Smile

I agree , i'm happy for the genuine to recieve benifits. But in my line of work I visit a LOT of people who sponge off us. I realise I only see a small percentage, but its still a fair few people. Kind of irritating.

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Shirley K. Lawson
Shirley K. Lawson
Posts: 2310
Joined: 17th Jul 2008
Location: USA
quotePosted at 19:49 on 27th January 2009

We have the same problem over here, and I well rember an time when we could buy an "Britanica" blue jean...and I can remeber going to British Columbia and buying small tea cakes in 50 to an package at all the bakeries, neither exist now. You can hardly find tea cups at consumer level prices. They can't seemingly compete on the meat market by offering us decent priced "Lamb" to eat also. Anything "metal" has slowly went out the door and yet is much more durable then plastic is. they have out sourced our products and jobs to countries.... an underground internet thing going on.."Buy American" For the most part products are not geared at the consumer level at an decent price. Living off the governemnt is the norm..instead of the exception these days, and whose supporting the government but the people they are laying off.  In my estimation the car insdustry was just waitng to happen..why?..they want to turn over cars constanlty, but not at cheap prices, when an car costs into the $30,000 range, it's not quite like your new "chevy" people bought in the 60's at $3,000 brand new...when they charge $400,00 for an new house, it's not quite like the new houses of the $60,000 range in the 70's...of equal size and value.  I heard an older person say that when she was an younger gal, her family in her business considered themselves doing good to break even on every year's end in profit vs. expnses,,,but now all CEO's are expected to conintually out rank every year with another 25 per cent profit, or they make the business go "belly up" all together. She claims our "thinking" is unrealistic...and is the backbone to our problems. for the pursuit of an huge profit margin we have thrown "out the baby with the bath water" sort as to say. I listened to an person tell how by rising prices, an store keeper can sell perhaps less merchandise, but at the same time still keep the same profit...and lay off an employee..and actually come out ahead. It might work until you loose your customers from to high an prike hikes continually.I doubt the employee "let go" is going to want to shop the store there after either. The bottom line is you can't expect others to constantly "give" and not yourself at some time also. In my 60 years, I've worked full time about half of them..here's the reasons why many of them through time went out of business or changed hands...(1) not keeping up with quality to equal pricing, (2) Inadequate employees...(it amazes me the kick-backs, the stealing, and the underhanded techniques people use these days to get ahead).... (3) Lack of  newer technology (4) lack of defined organiztion and goals within the company (5.) lack of customer service...and follow through. I worked for one place where all the employees wanted to be the "boss" and more so then did the their "boss"...he wanted to be someplace else all the time I guess. I think of all the thousands of businesses over the last 100 years here, they said but only five of them have survived all these years...over that 100 years since they were founded.

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Steve & Nadine Wornham
Steve & Nadine Wornham
Posts: 13
Joined: 21st Jan 2009
Location: UK
quotePosted at 20:17 on 27th January 2009
You're not wrong on customer service or suitable staff. I recently wrote the following to the head office. It's all true, this actually happened to my husband and I last week. We were both speechless, well my husband was when he put his clothes back on. It's not easy having a run in with an unhelpful manager when you're in the changing room wearing very little.
'Dear Sir/Madam
My husband and I called into your Southport Street store on the Gold Coast this afternoon to buy jeans.
My husband always buys your jeans and had selected several pairs to try on while I  had picked up a few garments also.
Trying on the jeans, my husband realised he'd got the wrong size so he asked me to find him the correct size.
I went to the rails where the jeans were but I had forgotten my glasses and couldn't read the label so I asked the store assistant, who I think might have been the manager, for assistance.
He came over and i explained what i needed and asked if he could help me find the correct size because I couldn't see properly.
His answer was 'Madam, it's not rocket science, this is a self serve store, you serve yourself, it's not my job to serve you. The sizes are on the labels'. I explained that i couldn't see properly and he said it wasn't his problem and walked away.
The store was noticeably empty, we were the only customers inside the shop and the male assistant did not appear busy.
I have worked in retail all my working life. I own two fashion online stores, see below.
If your shops do not survive the current downturn, it's easy to see why. I have never been on the receiving end of such bad customer service.
When I complained to your retail assistant he reaffirmed that we were in a Clearance Store and that it was self service. I believe all shops offer a self serve environment (that's why they have trolleys) and that staff are employed to assist, not to tell customers to shove it then walk off and leave them to serve themselves.
Needless to say, we did not spend any money in your shop today. We note that the store at Harbourtown has now closed and we had purposely tried to find another Rivers store. I hope for your own survival in this current difficult climate, you manage to attract suitable staff to keep your business afloat.
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Gordon Eve-tatham
Gordon Eve-tatham
Posts: 10
Joined: 22nd Jan 2009
Location: UK
quotePosted at 08:55 on 28th January 2009

Helping domestic manufacturing seems to be something that a lot of us care about.  Of course if we make inferior or grossly expensive goods we don't deserve customers.  I believe in free trade, protectionism is only acceptable as a short term rescue measure in dire circumstances.  In the UK trade seems to be weighted against home industries and a lot of the imports are of inferior quality produced under dreadful conditions.  Sir 3Alan Sugar in the Daily Mirror on Monday had an article which partially addressed this malaise.  He pointed out that the biggest prucahser of goods in the country is government.  In France the government has a policy of purchasing French goods and services whenever they can; they know that by supporting French companies they are helping their country.  In the UK purchasing managers do not show such loyalty.

As individuals all we can do is protest.  The selection of goods in the shops is determined by the retailer buyer and not by the customer; if the retail buyers show more preference to domestic producers then we have the choice.  That choice has been taken away over the last 50 years by not requiring the country of origin to be declared and allowing domestic companies to rebadge foreign products as their own.  I was in the electrical department of John Lewis at the weekend and was dismayed that a Kenwood breadmaker we liked had no indication of where it came from despite being the most expensive one on display.  When I asked the assistant and department manager where they were made they hadn't a clue but thought that it was probably China.  Not only did they not know but they did not care and John Lewis amongst all our retailers has the best reputation for service and quality.  I would like to see British goods displaying a small Union Jack on their packaging and where practical on the products themselves and for all goods to be required to show their country of origin.  I do also think it is reasonable to ban the import of goods that are of proven poor quality or are shown to be dumped (sold at uneconomic prices to achieve market share).

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Gordon Eve-tatham
Gordon Eve-tatham
Posts: 10
Joined: 22nd Jan 2009
Location: UK
quotePosted at 11:37 on 29th January 2009

In the Daily Mirror on Monday the 26th January Sir Alan Sugar wrote a very good article on the importance of buying British (domestic) in which he pointed uot that the biggest purchaser of goods and serivce is the government itself.  He said essentially that the British Government shows scant loyalty to British Manufacturers where as the French Government always purchases French goods and services where it can.  It prompted me to send a letter to the Daily mirror which they published yesterday.

I was heartened by Sir Alan Sugar's article in the Daily Mirror on Monday 26th January.  I totally agree with his comments about government and local authority purchasing and his comparisons with the French attitude.  When food shopping it is generally easy to ascertain where foods originate so individuals can buy British for a lot of what we consume.
However under the Thatcher Government the legislation requiring country of origin to be shown on consumer goods was removed though fortunately most goods still show the information though not always prominently.  Let's be realistic in saying that no matter what the shopper wants it is the trader who buys the items from overseas giving the shopper no real option to buy British.  Companies, especially multiple retailers and wholesalers, need to show national loyalty by buying British where they can and the customer needs to be able to see a Union Jack on items made in the United Kingdom.  I was in John Lewis at the weekend in the electrical department looking at Breadmakers and Televisions; the staff did not know or seem to care where some of the items were manufactured.  The Breadmaker (Kenwood) did not even have a country of origin on it; Kenwood products at one time were proudly made in Britain now a lot of their production comes from China.  To be fair to both John Lewis and Kenwood they are no different to many other companies.  Like many citizens I want to buy British but in order to be able to do so I need to know that I can get British.
Gordon Eve-Tatham, Liverpool
Whether my points and Sir alan's will be taken on board by them with the power to do something about it remains to be seen.
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