It was billed as a brave new dawn in government support for UK manufacturing. But the industrial strategy, and the minister Michael Fallon who'll help deliver it, left site managers seriously underwhelmed at WM's Outlook roundtable debate.
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Banks say they have billions available to borrow, yet SME manufacturers claim cash is being bound up by draconian security demands. Max Gosney asks how we can finally end a long-running cold war with financiers in 2013
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The banks are backing government growth plans for manufacturing by looking to boost lending to SMEs, says Richard Holden, head of manufacturing at Lloyds TSB Commercial
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Boys and girls still aren't growing up wanting to be engineers, the Siemens VIP panel debate in Manchester heard. Vince Cable joined a group of industry leaders to discuss why. Max Gosney reports
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Many businesses have wildly exceeded their machinery replacement lifecycles, as they cling on to cash in hard times. Could asset finance be the knight in shining armour? Brian Wall reports
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SME manufacturers are missing out on windfalls of up to £120,000 by failing to claim R&D tax credits. WM gets the lowdown from Government Grant & Tax Consultants on a valuable funding stream that has passed beneath many businesses' radar
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Banks must ramp up lending to SMES to meet government targets; factories need capital to buy the new plant that will keep them competitive. Yet a marriage made in heaven threatens to become a bitter break up thanks to controversial borrowing terms and historic distrust. WM brought the two sides together to heal the rift
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European manufacturing leaders discuss whether their days are numbered as the pre-eminent manufacturing power at the NG Manufacturing summit in Spain
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Eyes were fixed firmly east as European manufacturing leaders gathered at the recent NG Manufacturing Summit in Spain to debate the sector's future. Max Gosney reports
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Can asset finance fund equipment training costs? Why is the cost of borrowing so high when the base rate is so low? Is asset finance only for larger manufacturers? In the last article of this three-part series, WM puts your questions to Lombard, the UK's most experienced provider of asset finance
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Alexander Baldock, managing director of Lombard, describes how best to navigate the funding application process for asset finance to secure the best deal for your business
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Many UK manufacturers complain that a shortage of capital funding is constraining their ability to expand, to innovate and ultimately to play their part in creating a sustainable recovery. In this first part of a three-part series, Alexander Baldock, managing director of Lombard, gives a jargon-free guide to solving their problems through the flexible, accessible route of asset finance
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Whether it's a shiny new piece of machinery for the shopfloor, a compressor or a forklift truck, there are several options for procuring new equipment, as Malcolm Wheatley discovers
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The government is urging lenders to lend; the lenders say they are already doing so. But do manufacturers have the appetite to borrow? Ken Hurst speaks to both sides of the divide and canvasses the help of 100 manufacturers to get to the truth
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As 2011 dawns, WM unites industry leaders and grassroots site managers to debate the big issues facing the sector, as revealed in our Manufacturing Outlook survey last month. From securing credit to solving the skills crisis, the panel uncovers what manufacturers plan to do to drive success in the year ahead
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Manufacturers' bottom lines are at the mercy of a host of business risks. If you think there's nothing you can do to ward off disaster then think again, says Tim Astley of Zurich Risk Engineering
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Ken Hurst enters the upside down world of the reverse auction to find it can be complex, stressful and profitable. But not everyone's a winner
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With UK manufacturing capital investment running at more than £1 billion below pre-recession levels, Colin Chinery asks how far this – along with tight credit and funding availability – could hobble a resurgent British manufacturing
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What happened to financial security at the end of working life? Annie Gregory finds out how industry is coping with the pensions black hole
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If manufacturing isn’t what it used to be, what might it become? Ken Hurst finds out that the answer could be a blue and white collar hybrid
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We are where we are. Industry didn’t create the credit crunch, but we still have to find ways of surviving it. Annie Gregory finds out where the lifebelts are lurking
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Are manufacturers rushing to the altar to share their worldly goods or did the cost of a wedding just get too high? Ken Hurst courts some newly-weds and some marriage guidance counsellors to find out
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There have been worse times to be in manufacturing than now. John Dwyer peers through the doom and gloom and finds plenty of reasons for optimism
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Where do you go when your business needs an injection of funds?
Annie Gregory investigates the options in today’s turbulent economic climate
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The DTI treasure chest is reportedly full of money for innovation, new technology and R&D. So why is it so hard to get at? Annie Gregory asks who can best help you to find where it’s buried and to prise open the lid
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