2017 I hope is going to be a great year for midlands manufacturing.
There does seem to be a lot of optimism within manufacturing at the moment and there are certainly huge plans for investment and growth both from OEM's and the supply chain.
Although there is still an underlying uncertainty regarding Brexit and what will happen, I firmly believe UK Manufacturing PLC could be in for a positive run, as long as the politicians don't scupper it.
I know a lack of skills has been a worry for a lot of people, however there are a lot of good companies now out there trying to address this issue. For me there is a bigger issue looming and that is the lack of suitable business premises and land for development, as a lot of the land available is earmarked for housing. Also the cost of raw materials continues to rise, which if left unabated, could hamper everyone's plans.
So as I was born in the year of the Rooster and to end on a positive note, they say people born during the Year of the Rooster will benefit greatly from the positive energy flows of the year 2017!!
Who am I to disagree?