Manufacturing leaders have called for a consistent, long-term policy to support the growth of smaller manufacturing companies.

Andrew Churchill, managing director of precision engineering company JJ Churchill Ltd, who supply into the Aerospace, Powergen and Diesel Engine sectors has called on all political parties to work together to secure long-term planning and investment in order to safeguard the future of British manufacturing,

Speaking at the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) Manufacturing Innovation Conference, he called for a clear plan to encourage and support high-growth SMEs as part of the Government’s industrial strategy.

Churchill said: “We want to see a consistent, long-term government policy to ensure the manufacturing sector continues to go from strength to strength. UK manufacturing is growing at the fastest rate for a generation, so we must act now to maintain the momentum.

“Key to this is an effective government industrial strategy, in which manufacturers themselves must play an important role. Lack of skills continues to threaten our success, so manufacturers need to get involved by engaging with schools and other education providers to highlight manufacturing as a career choice.

“Manufacturing is a complex and diverse industry extending far beyond the factory stereotype. Manufacturers today handle complex data and often work closely with customers, so need to be agile and flexible to respond to new market demands.”

The purpose of the conference was to collect views on priorities for manufacturing innovation policy for 2015-2020 to inform Government policy.