CEO Makes the Case for a Materials Catapult
Greybull’s acquisition of Tata’s Long Products Division will prove a pivotal moment if the industry is able to embrace change and innovation (“Can Greybull fan the fading embers of British Steel?” Sunday Times Business, 17.4.16)
Letter Published in The Sunday Times on 24th AprilÂ
It could be easy to fall into the trap of assuming there is little space for a competitive UK Steel industry, but this would be to ignore not only what we do well, but what is happening around us right now.
The UK specifically has an advantage over countries like China in our ability to move and adapt quickly, our diversity and internationalisation and our access to demanding customers across a large, single European market.
All of these are strengths that can help to keep the UK industry fit, agile and above all profitable. However, this can only happen with the right kind of support, which must include the creation of a government-supported Materials Catapult, led by industry, to develop products and techniques that meet the requirements of global industry, as proposed by the Materials Processing Institute.
Only through co-investment in innovation between the UK steel industry and government can we continue to hold this place as the fast moving, opportunists of the steel world.
25 April 2016
