Manufacturing and Engineering Magazine Volume 425 - January 2016 | Page 31

MANUFACTURING & ENGINEERING MADE IN YORKSHIRE

BUY LOCAL
THINK GLOBAL
With a prowess in the textiles
industry dating back half a millennia, and the later esteem of an
international steel trade, Yorkshire
has yet to relinquish its prominence in the manufacturing and
engineering sector. The largest county in
England, defined by a regional dialect unlike
any other, has remained buoyant over the
years, largely thanks to its commitment to
skilled manufacture and diversification into
further specialist engineering sectors.
With the subdivision of the region, and the
differentiation of towns and cities, we can begin
to trace the sheer vastness – in scale and range
– of Yorkshire's manufacturing and engineering
profile. Stretching from Sheffield to North
Allerton, the county has both a history and
present rooted in engineering and manufacture: the former as the home of steel, while the
latter has remained a centre of agriculture.
Huddersfield, too, has guarded its industrial
impression on the landscape; having switched
many of its mills to plants, it has become a town
of chemical and engineering companies, and the
birthplace of the likes of Cummins and Brooks
Motors.
It is perhaps Leeds where the region's
foothold on the sector is secured and, from a
successful wool production trade during the
Industrial Revolution, the city has subsequently

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ventured into a variety of markets and secured
the title of third largest manufacturing centre
in the UK. The largest sub-sectors within its
manufacturing proficiency are engineering,
printing and publishing, food and drink, chemicals and medical technology. Not just a pillar of
the nation's manufacturing and engineering
industry, Leeds has, furthermore, gone on the
rank as a world gamma city in recognition of its
economic vitality.
As testament to the region's consistent profile in the industry, Yorkshire benefits from a
number of trade associations committed to preserving the vibrancy of the landscape's manufacturing and engineering output. In addition to
Manufactured Yorkshire, Made in Yorkshire is
the newest trade association looking to secure
the region's manufacturing and engineering
firms national esteem. As a privately-run peer
group for company founders and directors, the
organisation is concerned with encouraging
sector-wide change informed by the interests
of its members, and actively looks to ensure
members' profile on the landscape.
With such strong industrial presence, it's
surprising to learn that over one fifth of the
Yorkshire landscape is rural, and local and
national conservation charities are therefore
keen to protect the biodiversity and greenery
of the area. In view of the region's pastoral
geography, industries and local authorities have

Yorkshire benefits from
a number of trade
associations committed
to preserving the
vibrancy of the
landscape's
manufacturing and
engineering output.
collaborated to ensure the county's economic
prosperity doesn't come at the cost of either
the local or global environment. A host of companies have invested in renewable technology
like photovoltaic power in order to reduce carbon emissions, and a great deal more have
sought efficient heating and lighting solutions
for use in plants and workspace.
And so, with feet firmly placed in several
major industries, and an acknowledgement of
the responsibility that comes with such,
Yorkshire's cultural and industrial presence is
guarded for the future. Alive with progress and
the events to which the county plays host, it
only continues to gain speed on the international market and yet breed a culture which is vehemently patriotic.

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