For most businesses across the EU, the next few months are cloaked in a blanket of uncertainty. The GDPR is set be enforced within the next couple of days, leaving the future of business communication in flux. This sense of upheaval is even more prevalent in the manufacturing industry, where recent news articles signal both the growth and deceleration of the sector.
In a recent article from the Financial Times, experts suggested that “the slowdown in UK manufacturing could be more prolonged than previously thought, […] after a monthly industry survey pointed to the weakest output growth in two years.”
At the same time, Epicor published its new Global Growth Index, which suggests that “manufacturing business growth has increased by 3.7 percent, despite the fact that half of manufacturers admit they have grown under challenging circumstances.”
So, what does the future hold for the manufacturing industry?
Well, there are a lot of elements at play here. First off, there’s the continual impact of Brexit on the UK manufacturing market. Then there’s the GDPR, which will drastically change the way manufacturers tackle their sales, marketing, and communications. And finally, there’s been a huge movement amongst the manufacturing industry to reduce environmental waste and to create more innovative and environmentally-friendly solutions for clients.
However, there are also some more positive factors to consider. The rise of Industry 4.0 heralds an exciting time for manufacturers, creating new opportunities for automation and streamlined processes, all of which will transform our factories and production centres into more efficient machines.
Our verdict?
Yes, there are challenges afoot. We are moving through a period of immense change, which will force us to audit our current processes and consider how we, as manufacturers, can move forward amidst new regulations. Ultimately, we think manufacturers will learn to be more creative, more efficient, and build stronger relationships with customers – and there’s no harm in that.
What’s next for Sinclair & Rush?
For us, the main focus is our brand new website, due to launch very soon. We’ve worked hard to create a new platform that’s as customer-centric as possible, streamlining the user experience; it’s set to make browsing products, tracking orders, and reordering much easier. We can’t wait to see what you think!
