Technology and automation is way forward for coastal firms, Scarborough roundtable is told

The York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub in conjunction with Made Smarter joined forces with The Yorkshire Post to hold a roundtable at Coventry University’s Scarborough campus which assessed how the region’s manufacturing economy could grow and prosper. The participants included Mike Pennington, the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub’s Business Relationship Manager, who is helping businesses to forge connections with Made Smarter, a Government scheme which aims to boost UK manufacturing growth through industrial digital transformation.

Ben Henry, the production director at manufacturing company Hunprenco said recruitment was a major issue; with around 20 per cent of his workforce within two years of retirement. He said the most effective way to solve recruitment problems is to upskill staff and introduce apprenticeships.

He added: “Made Smarter has helped us fund a robotics project to automate another section of our production line...This has enabled us to focus resources on training and development.”

He said Brexit had created barriers which affected his company. Roughly 55 per cent of the company's trade is in Europe and Ireland.

He added: “We have now overcome these issues but more could be done to improve trade policies in the future.” He also said flexible working helped retain senior staff, although younger workers sometimes believed they could work remotely in manufacturing. He suggested that there should be more education on the reality of working remotely in manufacturing, to avoid unrealistic expectations.

Alan Pickering, the managing director of Scarborough-based manufacturing company Unison Ltd said there are lots of challenges around recruitment, because "all we seem to do on the coast is steal staff from each other".

He added: “The pay is good compared to other parts of the country, where we live is beautiful and the work life balance can be fantastic. The problem is a lack of relevant engineering talent being taught or coming in to replace the ones that retire. Education policy seems to be all about money, but it should really be about what's best for local kids in the local economy. We could do with a broader PR (public relations) piece about what the coast has to offer with a more joined up approach from the business community to explain why it is such a good place to live and work.”

Mark Bates, Sector Development Relationship Manager (Trade & Investment) and Advanced Manufacturing at Invest in York & North Yorkshire, which is part of York & North Yorkshire LEP, said there was a strong business community in Scarborough which was willing to collaborate. He said that one of the biggest challenges remained transport infrastructure, with many businesses calling for the dualling of the A64 and improvements to the Transpennine Express service.

He said businesses might feel isolated due to transport problems, but these issues can be overcome. He added: "Businesses need to review what their story is. Is it fit for today's younger generation? Through Invest in York & North Yorkshire, we will be banging the drum for businesses here as they seek to tackle gaps in the supply chain."