Last week came the news that Colman’s, after a long history with the city, was joining Britvic in moving the majority of their production out of Norwich. Whilst this was disappointing news for Norwich – it is by no means representative of the state of the whole of the Norfolk manufacturing community.
The manufacturing sector is spread right across Norfolk. Many have a long history with the county and will continue to evolve with the use of technology and maximise plans to capitalise on future opportunities. Norfolk Chamber has gathered a small snapshot of Chamber members manufacturers who have been highlighting their successes in 2017 and identifying some of their plans for 2018.
Broadland Wineries, based in Norwich, outlined how they have added new talent to their team and have exciting plans to increase their customer base. Chairman, Mark Lansley said:
“In 2017 Broadland Wineries had a tougher year due mainly to the increased cost of imported wines and the fall in the value of the pound. But recently the company has added new talent to its team and has teamed up with Sir Ian Botham and other strategic partners to further develop its branded wine range, alongside its private label offering, to further increase its customer base, so the company is fairly optimistic for 2018”.
Pasta Foods, who have sites in Great Yarmouth and Norwich, has increased their exports over the last year, Michele Conway, Sales Director said:
“In 2017 we have seen an overall increase in our export business and integral to our success is the support we receive from the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, who we use to legalise our documentation. We plan to grow our export business even further in 2018 targeting growth on every continent.”
Esther Evans, Managing Director of STM Packaging Group Ltd I Norwich, explained how her organisation has developed new export opportunities in central and southern Europe and have ambitious plans for 2018. She said:
“We have really benefited from the weaker pound value in 2017 and have developed some new and valuable export accounts in central and southern Europe. As a result of our manufacturing being situated in the east of England, the logistics for this export are quick, viable and efficient.
“We have ambitious growth plans for 2018 in niche and specialist markets that allow us, as an SME, to offer very high levels of customer service and innovation which the larger and less flexible companies are unable to match. This also gives us good added value opportunities and the chance to develop and retain long-term relationships with those customers.
“We are also looking to develop strategic alliances with other local SME’s who manufacture similar and complimentary products so that we can all develop and grow together and take advantage of the market reach of each company. The delivery of any strategy only works if the team understand the objectives and all of our colleagues at STM Packaging Group are genuine and committed people who will ultimately benefit from their own success.”
Another positive for Norfolk is that our infrastructure continues to improve, albeit at a pace slower than most businesses would like. Over recent years, government has allocated funding for improvements to road and rail infrastructure. Our ability to gain access to superfast broadband is also improving, but more work still needs to be done. It’s time to accelerate all those plans to head off any feelings that infrastructure is a barrier to business growth!
Commenting on the future for Norfolk businesses, Nova Fairbank, Public Affairs Manager for Norfolk Chamber said:
“To better enable the Norfolk business community to grow, we will to continue to work with our partners to lobby hard to gain greater infrastructure improvements that are delivered as soon as possible to maximise the benefit for the local business community.
“There are a great many business prospects going forward, with opportunities such as the Cambridge to Norwich Tech Corridor and the Enterprise Zones in Great Yarmouth, King’s Lynn and Norwich – all designed to develop greater economic growth and jobs for our region.
“Norfolk is most definitely open for business.”
