Festival will celebrate Whitby as a manufacturing powerhouse, Made Smarter roundtable is told

The roundtable event heard that manufacturers based in Whitby were determined to attract long term jobs and investment to North Yorkshire.

The York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub in conjunction with Made Smarter and The Yorkshire Post staged an event at Coventry University’s Scarborough campus to assess how manufacturers could collaborate to make manufacturing firms prosper.

Richard Wells, the co-founder of Whitby Brewery, said his company was hosting a 'Made in Whitby Festival' on July 5 and 6 to showcase the local manufacturing economy and show that there's more to Whitby than just tourism.

He added: “Made in Whitby is a community created by local producers for local producers. It should bring local makers together as a network, helping to showcase their products at the festival and also supporting local manufacturers by pooling knowledge and resources. I'm hoping we can use the network to help support local manufacturers financially in the future too.”

Darren Archibald, the director of Whitby Sea Salt, said the festival was celebrating entrepreneurs who produce and manufacture high quality products to help boost Whitby’s economy and visitor numbers.

Mr Archibald said the co-founders of this new annual event are Whitby Sea Salt, Fortunes Kippers and Whitby Brewery, supported by York & North Yorkshire LEP and Anglo American UK.

Mr Archibald said demand for his company’s products has continued to grow, despite the troubled economic backdrop.

“The greatest asset is time and we work hard to create a happy working environment,’’ he said. “We have tapped into the success of the tourism industry which has given us a big following worldwide. It’s been said that the best workers of all are found on the North Yorkshire coast which all comes historically from the fishing industry.”

He added: “The biggest challenge is finding business premises. We are boxed in from every angle. We have managed to buy some land where we hope to build a Saltworks visitor centre to encourage more people to visit Whitby and find out about local industry.”

Jack Barber, the managing director of Nature’s Laboratory, a manufacturer of natural health products based in Whitby, said it was important for Yorkshire's manufacturing businesses to promote themselves more effectively. In common with many manufacturers in the region, Nature’s Laboratory have clients around the country but are less well known locally.

He added: “We need to tell people about the wide range of manufacturing businesses based in Whitby, they’re integral to the success of our local and regional economies. We’re struggling, like many companies, with problems linked to recruitment, Brexit and the supply chain.”

“The biggest problem we face is a legislative framework which is not fit for purpose. Natural medicine regulation is designed to support big multinationals.

"For small manufacturers like ourselves, committed to rigorous scientific research and producing the highest quality products, it makes it very difficult to compete.”

One of the other roundtable participants, Danny Metters, the Principal of East Riding College and Scarborough TEC, said Scarborough was a great place to live work and play.

He added: “There are some challenges but there is a great educational offering and good relationships with business who want to develop this even further. It is difficult to retain the talent pipeline with local young people often keen to move to other regions.

"We are heavily reliant on industry to provide a working environment that inspires them, so industry partnerships are key. When young people leave, we need to find a way to attract them back. How do we make Scarborough attractive from a career opportunity prospective? There are so many added benefits of working and living by the coast. We need to support the next generation of workers by making them aware of the career trajectory that can be achieved with local businesses.”

Simon Gurney, the director and co-founder of Cyber Security Consultancy Punk Security, said the manufacturing companies' challenges are his opportunity.

He added: "There is so much talent coming out of the local university. For us employing somebody in Scarborough is an obvious choice because our workforce is fully remote and it offer such a great work-life balance."

He stressed the need for manufacturers to take advice on cyber security and software issues.

Small businesses might, for example, buy in robotics with a 10 year life cycle to find it was supported by software which is out of date in six years

"We need to take a more holistic approach to buying cyber security which is more than just simply buying a product.”

Jack Roland Product Development Engineer at the Castle Group said there were many great local businesses and they tried to source as many materials as possible locally.

"I would rather pay a small premium and source something locally than go to China. We really struggle with recruitment and trying to find apprentices while a significant proportion of the workforce is close to retirement."

Mike Pennington, the Business Relationship Manager for York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said the Scarborough roundtable attracted a “great audience” who all seemed very engaged.

He added: “Clearly there are similar challenges in all sectors.”

He said these challenges included the recruitment and retention of key staff, skills and knowledge gaps as well as the need to upskill the current workforce.

He added: “There are some great businesses in Scarborough, but there needs to be more collaboration between everyone ‘to tell the coastal story’. It has a great deal to offer.

“People are the key to success in any business, hire the right people you get the right results. People make products; products don’t make people.”

To find out more about Made Smarter,visit www.madesmarter.uk