Made in Britain hosts session at Manufacturing and Supply Chain Conference in Belfast
Made in Britain CEO John Pearce and representatives of two of the organisation’s members based in Northern Ireland, Alan Lowry, CEO of Environmental Street Furniture (ESF), and Martin Mallon, Technical Marketing Manager at CT1, took part in a session at the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Conference in Belfast on 22nd June.
The speakers were encouraged by the level of optimism and positivity surrounding the manufacturing sector in Northern Ireland. Billed as a ‘Fireside Chat’ (ironically on such a glorious sunny day), the discussions covered topics vital to manufacturing across the UK: managing supply chain disruption, achieving sustainability goals, and making the most of Northern Ireland’s unique proximity to EU markets.
John Pearce said: “Northern Ireland continues to tick every box for business – especially those that make products and sell them within and outside the UK. There is an extraordinary manufacturing legacy, and a proud and highly skilled workforce. The place is bursting with energy and new ideas to help get back to green, responsible growth and an economy that serves both people and the planet.”
Made in Britain member Alan Lowry, who is CEO of Environmental Street Furniture (ESF) and Northern Ireland Policy Chair at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), was keen to share with the audience the ways in which ESF – a leading maker of, in his words, “bins, bollards, and benches” – is working on sophisticated circular economy projects and global product licenses to accelerate its sustainability efforts.
“We’ve always had sustainability at the very core of what we do – it’s even in our name. When we were approached by a new global licencing project to make some of our range, entirely from upcycled materials, we jumped at the opportunity.“Ultimately, all the talking in the world won’t change things – we have to act in a way that proves we’re serious about the environment and we’re a genuinely responsible manufacturer. The Made in Britain: Northern Ireland Mark will be on every product we make, reminding everyone that interacts with our products that Northern Ireland is already going green and leading the way,” Alan Lowry said.
Martin Mallon, Technical Marketing Manager at CT1 was delighted to know the company’s fleet of vehicles – which each have a (giant) Made in Britain Mark very proudly embossed onto the livery – have been having the desired impact. Road users, including John Pearce, reported sightings of the Mark when traveling on British motorways.
“The Made in Britain Mark means everything to us. It says so much about our pride of product, of manufacturing quality and of where we are heading as a business. With so many great construction companies and 100s of other sectors all on the same database of British manufacturing, it feels like the best way to tell all our stakeholders that we’re ambitious, we have a plan and that making and exporting British-made goods is vital to the success of the economy overall. We want everyone in Northern Ireland to know we’re a very proud manufacturer and member of Made in Britain,” said Martin Mellon.
Made in Britain is an independent, apolitical, not-for-profit membership organisation uniting close to 2,000 British SME manufacturers by their licensed use of the Made in Britain Mark, which helps manufacturers across the UK to achieve more sales by promoting their British provenance. Members manufacturing in Northern Ireland use the Made in Britain: Northern Ireland Mark.
