Roger Wareham, Saffery Champness; Robert Rutherford, QuoStar; Jamie Lane, Saffery Champness and Craig Cotton, NatWest.
Published: March 9, 2020 | Updated: 6th September 2023
Leaders from a range of industries and sectors took part in an inaugural Manufacturers Forum in Dorset.
Technological changes, government grants and funding initiatives and the Coronavirus were among the subjects under discussion.
The dinner, at 10 Castle Street, Cranborne, was organised by Saffery Champness Chartered Accountants, QuoStar, and NatWest Bank.
It was chaired by Dr John Knowles, former Managing Director and Chairman of DEK – now ASM Assembly Systems, a world leading manufacturer of capital equipment for the electronic assembly industry.
Among the concerns and issues covered were:
Roger Wareham, Partner, Saffery Champness, said: “What we heard from our guests confirmed that our manufacturing businesses are on the verge of significant change.
“With many relying historically on labour provision from within the EU, the government are clear that this will be less viable going forwards.
“To bridge this gap, investment in technology is going to be required.
“This, in itself, contains significant risk and many business leaders are facing the challenge of not only financing such investment but consideration of how the workforce they employ will need to ‘skill up’ to be able to maintain the right skill set to maintain and grow their businesses into the future.
“We are very pleased that the dinner was such a huge success.
“It achieved exactly what we wanted in respect of an open forum for local manufacturing business owners to share their experiences, discuss challenges and explore various themes currently impacting the sector.
“This is the first of a series we are planning and we look forward to welcoming more business owners to future events.”
Robert Rutherford, Chief Executive Officer of QuoStar, said: “Having spent over 20 years working directly with leaders within the manufacturing and engineer sector, it’s clear to see that many are isolated from their peers.
“In my experience peer-led groups really benefit leaders and their businesses; from opening their eyes to innovation and new ideas through to dealing with day to day operations, supply chain and HR issues.
“It’s very powerful to bring together hundreds of years of experience to discuss events and opportunities whilst also assisting in solving each other’s challenges.
“QuoStar really benefits from the insights gained from these events; seeing where current issues and opportunities lie and where technologies, systems and our expertise can add real value.”
Dr John Knowles said it had been an enjoyable night which couldn’t have come at a more vital time.
He added: “The challenges faced by manufacturers today may feel overwhelming and a successful business of today will look very different than that of tomorrow.
“By creating a diverse platform to talk through these issues together, we were able to cover a significant ground on the night, including issues such as innovation, research and development, and strategic recruitment.
“It’s by no means plain sailing for today’s manufacturer, and its events like this which are essential to getting through rocky patches ahead.”