# data[].attributes.headline
UK Manufacturing - Supply Chains need Strengthening

# data[].attributes.subject
UK Manufacturing - Supply Chains need Strengthening

# data[].attributes.body
Nov 2014

# data[].attributes.body
Revision Presentation

# data[].attributes.body
Feb 2015

# data[].attributes.body
Feb 2015

# data[].attributes.headline
UK Manufacturing - a short introduction to the UK Automotive Sector

# data[].attributes.subject
UK Manufacturing - a short introduction to the UK Automotive Sector

# data[].attributes.body
BP 1-5

# data[].attributes.body
Links to Press Release

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Good news for UK manufacturing this week, as Jaguar Land Rover announce a rise in sales of 9% globally, with a quarter of those going to China, a 7% rise in the UK, as Land Rover have their best ever year and Jaguar their best for a decade.

The company (owned by Tata Steel) has invested £1.5bn into their plant in Solihull in the Midlands, and on Monday announced that they would create a further 1,300 jobs there, on top of 1,700 announced last year, to build their new 4x4 crossover model - you can find a video report about the new vehicle here.

Chief executive Ralf Speth said the announcement "once again demonstrates our commitment to the UK and the advancement of a hi-tech, high-skilled, manufacturing-led economy". Not surprisingly, the government were delighted with the announcement as well. Business Secretary Vince Cable saw this as "great news for British manufacturing and a ringing endorsement of our expertise in innovation and technology. The UK's automotive industry is thriving, with a new car rolling off the production line every 20 seconds, and increasing levels of investment that's helping to secure local jobs."

JLR are showing their CSR credentials in recruitment for those jobs. Having sponsored Prince Harry's Invictus Games last year, they have said that for these new posts they will particularly welcome applications from those leaving and about to leave the armed forces.

There are many useful reports about this story; for BUSS4 students wanting to add it to their research portfolio, a good place to start is this press release from JLR themselves.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
BUSS4 UK manufacturing - Jaguar Land Rover expands | tutor2u Business

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Good news for UK manufacturing this week, as Jaguar Land Rover announce a rise in sales of 9% globally, with a quarter of those going to China, a 7% rise in the UK, as Land Rover have their best ever year and Jaguar their best for a decade.

# data[].attributes.body
BP4 - Revision Presentation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Business Location (Revision Presentation) | tutor2u Business

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The considerations, including demand and supply factors, influencing the choice of business location are considered in this revision presentation.

# data[].attributes.body
Rolls Royce to improve operational efficiency

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
UK Manufacturing - Rolls Royce Takes Steps to Improve Operational Efficiency (Competitiveness) | tutor2u Business

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Competitiveness - and specifically the need to be cost-effective - is at the heart of a significant announcement by one of the UK's most significant manufacturers Rolls Royce.

# data[].attributes.body
Threat from Energy costs and skills gaps

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
An important contribution to the debate about the UK's industrial strategy was made by the CBI in October 2014 and much of what was said is directly relevant to students researching the opportunities and threats facing UK manufacturing.
The CBI press release can be found here.
In his speech, John Cridland (CBI Director-General) paints a fairly optimistic picture of the opportunities for UK manufacturing, highlighting the reshoring trend, exporting to emerging markets, and greater use of domestic firms in the supply chain as three key opportunities.

However, he points to two key threats which he claims have the potential to de-rail UK manufacturing:

High energy costs

Skills shortages

The importance of energy costs to manufacturers depends, to a large extent, on the nature of the manufacturing process. For some sectors such as chemicals and steel production, energy costs are a very high proportion of overall production costs. The CBI indicates support for the adoption of fracking as one method of reducing industrial energy prices:
"The undoubted benefits of fracking must also be recognised and carefully exploited"
The growing skills shortages or gaps in UK manufacturing might be a harder problem to overcome in the short-to-medium term. But the CBI are clear that they present a significant threat:
"We have to grasp the urgency of the skills crisis, which feels like a car crash in slow motion. As engineers hang up their hard hats and head for retirement, we simply don't have enough of the next generation coming through."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
UK Manufacturing Competitiveness: The Threat from Energy Costs and Skills Gaps | tutor2u Business

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An important contribution to the debate about the UK's industrial strategy was made by the CBI in October 2014 and much of what was said is directly relevant to students researching the opportunities and threats facing UK manufacturing. The CBI press release can be found here.

# data[].attributes.body
BP 2, 4 & 5

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Inside Rolls-Royce and Boodles: Inside Rolls-Royce and Boodles - On Demand

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A privileged peek into the exclusive world of two luxury brands: Rolls-Royce and Boodles