These figures and individual examples, such as WPS, provide some grounding for a long-held hope that British-made components may once again form the bedrock of products manufactured by industries such as our own”
These figures and individual examples, such as WPS, provide some grounding for a long-held hope that British-made components may once again form the bedrock of products manufactured by industries such as our own. This idea would have seemed like pure fantasy only a handful of years ago, as it was cheaper to import LED systems and materials from Beijing than it was to buy them from a supplier across the road. Yet the idea of a British manufacturing base is only realistic if there are a thousand more like WPS out there that invest to take on low-cost foreign competitors. The reality is that tens of thousands of businesses, including those in our own neck of the woods, only survive because of ultra low-cost products manufactured in emerging economies—as they keep production costs low and allow sign-makers, and their suppliers, to sustain an arms race in a price-focussed product battle.