2012 was quite a year for Great Britain for many reasons but the highlight must surely be when we hosted the Olympic Games.
It put us on centre stage, showing the world what we can achieve and the magnificent opening ceremony was also a great reminder of how manufacturing has always been a central part of what we do best. There is no doubt that times are still tough and there are no significant signs of improvement but you can’t argue that the Olympics shifted the focus albeit temporarily giving the nation a real boost of pride. However, as we enter 2013 it is very much back to normal business. Quite what that is these days is open to interpretation but, for our part, we are definitely seeing a desire from industry to re-energise British manufacturing. Whether this is a symptom of a heartfelt desire to restore our own economy in favour of other parts of the globe, or that the Olympics reminded us of what we can really achieve when we set our minds to it, who knows. Whichever it is though – I am sure I am not the only one who thinks it is a great move and certainly a sound bite of good news in these challenging times!