Staffordshire manufacturer meets Vince Cable to talk shop

Staffordshire based SSC Laser, the UK’s leading one stop sub contract laser job shop, met with Cabinet Minister Vince Cable earlier in February to discuss the Government’s plans for UK manufacturing. SSC’s Managing Director, Andy Evans travelled to Westminster with other members of the Made in the Midlands campaign to champion Midlands manufacturing. A tour of The Houses of Parliament was followed by a meeting with Vince Cable, Cabinet Minister for Business in the Churchill suite. Andy was keen to ask Mr Cable what Government was doing to support both Midlands and UK manufacturing, stating that “the manufacturing and engineering sector was now 10% of the UK’s national economic output and now employed almost 3 million people”. Mr Cable assured Andy that the Government was “very serious” in its support for manufacturing, recognising the efforts that UK SME’s and big manufacturing companies had made to become one of the UK’s most successful business sectors. Andy, who has worked in the steel industry and Engineering all his working life said, “We are an Island race, as such we have to manufacture and export goods. These days our strengths lie in designing and producing niche products that the rest of the world want to buy. It’s important that the Government recognises this and supports us in bringing young blood in to our sector through apprenticeships and further education to ensure that our sector becomes sustainable and continues to grow”. SSC Laser has enjoyed considerable local Government support from Jeremy Lefroy MP in particular. Mr Lefroy has visited SSC’s headquarters in Hixon near Stafford to discuss skills shortages in manufacturing and has been instrumental in helping SSC recruit young people for its Stafford factory. SSC Laser specialise in sub contract laser cutting, offering flat laser cutting, folded profiles and tube laser products. The company grew through the recession and now has 7 sites across the UK providing an unrivalled service to UK manufacturing. To learn more about SSC Laser Cutting go to their website at www.ssclaser.co.uk