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Experts Says Environmental Manufacturing Could Stem UK Manufacturing Slump

Originally published 19 April 2004

Professor Sir Kumar Bhattacharyya , one of the UK’s Leading Manufacturing experts, will, on Tuesday 20th April, tell an international conference at the University of Warwick that environmentally aware manufacturing is the one remaining thing that can stem the quarter century long slump in volume manufacturing in the UK and Europe.

Professor Sir Kumar Bhattacharyya, head of the Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick will say that:

“The UK has seen a 75% reduction in manufacturing capacity over the last 25 years. The survivors are lean, agile, innovative and well aware of the forces of global competition. There is very little technological competitive edge left in volume manufacturing. Factories in low wage areas no longer lag in technology.

"However we are set for a new revolution in manufacturing, where the driving forces will not be those of simple financial bottom line measurements. We will have to incorporate social and environmental performance into the measures of the success of manufacturing industry – the triple bottom line.

"Current notions of recycling are just stop-gap - we must develop profitable manufacturing methods that do not require expensive and inefficient processes. this will require a redirection of our economies to enable everyone to meet their basic needs and improve their quality of life while ensuring that the natural resources on which they depend are maintained and enhanced. New collaborations stretching along the whole length of the supply chain from the farmers through to manufacturers and end-users must be brokered.”

Professor Sir Kumar Bhattacharyya will give this address at the first day of the Environmentally Friendly European Composites conference and workshop which has drawn delegates from over dozen countries including the UK, Malaysia, Romania, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Finland, Portugal, and Sweden.

The event brings together leading academics, engineers and manufacturers to explore the future development and use of environmentally friendly composite materials in manufacturing and related industries. A number of the delegates will be from key industrial “end-user” groups in the automotive, construction, electronic and telecommunication industries.

For further information please contact:

Dr Nick Tucker,
University of Warwick
Warwick Manufacturing Group
n.tucker@warwick.ac.uk
Tel: 02476 522 499