In this article we will look at 5 advantages of manufacturing in the UK for the UK market compared to continuing to source from abroad.
Reduced shipping and distribution costs, time and risk.
The costs associated with shipping products 1000's of miles soon start add up.
The products need to be shipped from the factory to the nearest port, then via sea to a UK port and then finally to the distribution depot.
This process also leads to a significant time delay in getting the finished products from the factory to the market and an increased risk of damage to the products due to the increase in handling.
More rapid adaptability to changing market conditions.
Production can be quickly and efficiently altered to meet current demand levels with less of a delayed reaction compared to sourcing the products from abroad.
Design changes can be communicated easily without the additional worry of possible timezone delays or language barriers.
Increase Protection of Intellectual Properties
The UK has stringent laws in place to protect intellectual property. This is not the case in many other countries that may not have such laws at all or do not enforce them as robustly.
Reinvesting in the UK
Making products in the UK gives back to the local economy and provides jobs. Knowledge and skills are retained. With more control over the manufacturing process, increased innovation can be achieved.
Reduced Environmental Impact
Manufacturing in the UK results in a lower carbon footprint. Closer proximity to the market means less shipping, and legislation such as the Pollution Act 1974 ensure that all activities are conducted in a manner that is not detrimental to the environment.
According to Mark Piesing, writing in Inews back in 2018:
"Every day the clothes, tech and toys that fill the shelves in our shopping centres seem to arrive there by magic. In fact, about nine out of 10 items are shipped halfway around the world on board some of the biggest and dirtiest machines on the planet.
It has been estimated that just one of these container ships, the length of around six football pitches, can produce the same amount of pollution as 50 million cars.
The emissions from 15 of these mega-ships match those from all the cars in the world. And if the shipping industry were a country, it would be ranked between Germany and Japan as the sixth-largest contributor to global CO2 emissions."
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