Manufacturers across the Midlands will get their chance to have their say as the national audit, tax, advisory and risk firm Crowe and the Confederation of British Metalforming (CBM) team up to launch the annual Manufacturing Outlook 2023 Survey.
Johnathan Dudley, Midlands and South West managing partner and head of manufacturing at Crowe, said: “Crowe and CBM value your views on the trends that are shaping the manufacturing industry in the Midlands region and across the UK. Understanding the opportunities and challenges facing British manufacturers means we can better support the sector.”He said the survey would take manufacturers less than five minutes to complete, but would give a insight into the real day-to-day issues confronting the sector. The survey is accessible here and respondents have until Monday 31 July to submit their views.It asks manufacturers across all sectors of the economy throughout the country whether they have been affected by global supply chain issues, the availability and price of raw materials, and whether they have felt obliged to pass on inflationary costs to customers.Running annually since 2019 with hundreds of firms responding over the last four years, the 2023 survey also examines wider problems facing businesses operating in the UK, including issues recruiting and retaining skilled staff, and asks manufacturers to give a frank assessment of the impact of escalating energy costs.The results will also help paint a picture of the issues facing both importers and exporters, whether Brexit has had any impact and whether customers source materials and components from abroad, and are considering reshoring.Furthermore, this year’s outlook survey seeks to establish the impact of major infrastructure projects such as HS2 on manufacturing and whether businesses are finding it easy to access the HS2 supply chain requirements.Stephen Morley, president of the CBM, said: “Our message both to our members and to all manufacturers at whatever level of the supply chain across the UK is to help us establish a true picture of the state of our industry.“Your responses can serve to inform how we respond to current conditions and plan for the future. They also help us to lobby nationally on the issues on which you are most concerned.”
