Future of manufacturing
Foresight project looking at the long-term picture for the UK manufacturing sector between now and 2050.
The manufacturing sector makes significant contributions to the economy, accounting for over 10% of the UK’s gross value and employing around 2.5 million people. It accounts for more than half of the UK’s exports (53%) and around 3 quarters of business research and development (72%).
This project looked at the long-term picture for the UK manufacturing sector up to 2050, investigating global trends and drivers of change. It explored how the UK could maximise these opportunities and developed an evidence base to help policy-makers prepare for the challenges ahead.
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The project involved some 300 industry and academic experts, business leaders and stakeholders, from 25 countries. It was guided by a multi-disciplinary lead expert group and a high-level stakeholder group to ensure it included the most relevant evidence and its findings were of a high technical and scientific standard.
The project was sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Project report
Supporting evidence
- Future manufacturing: international perspectives
- Future manufacturing: impact of government policies since 1945
- Future manufacturing: competitiveness and evolving geography
- Future manufacturing: international industrial policy - lessons for the UK
- Future manufacturing: legal framework
- Future manufacturing: technology trends
- Future manufacturing: foreign direct investment trends
- Future manufacturing: capital investment trends
- Future manufacturing: high-value manufacturing - implications for employment
- Future manufacturing: new and advanced materials
- Future manufacturing: role of energy
- Future manufacturing: importance of intellectual property
- Future manufacturing: German manufacturing sector - overview
- Future manufacturing: macro-economic trends
- Future manufacturing: role of leadership
- Future manufacturing: investment in innovation
- Future manufacturing: constraints on UK exporters
- Future manufacturing: knowledge sources
- Future manufacturing: public image of manufacturing in the UK
- Future manufacturing: infrastructure
- Future manufacturing: best practice and UK productivity
- Future manufacturing: implications of an ageing society
- Future manufacturing: micro-economic trends
- Future manufacturing: role of government procurement
- Future manufacturing: winning markets for UK exports
- Future manufacturing: international analyses
- Future manufacturing: materials security
- Future manufacturing: contribution to UK resilience
- Future manufacturing: factory of the future
- Future manufacturing: UK balance of payments - update
- Future manufacturing: de-industrialisation and the balance of payments
- Future manufacturing: re-industrialisation
- Future manufacturing: business models for emerging sectors
- Future manufacturing: role of BRIC countries
- Future manufacturing: sustainability
- Future manufacturing: UK workforce needs
- Future manufacturing: industrial policy
Announcements
Last updated 11 April 2014 + show all updates
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'Future manufacturing: role of leadership' added to supporting evidence.
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First published.