Manufacturing
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For the last ten years, the number of people working in the manufacturing sector in Liverpool has continued to fall at the same rate as the rest of the country. This has been due to:
- competition from cheaper goods being imported from overseas;
- the rising cost of raw materials; and
- in 2006/7, the cost of energy to produce finished goods has also risen.
19,700 people working in the city in 1998 did so in factories making the goods we either bought or exported to other countries. However, by 2006 this number had fallen to 12,100.
The number of people working in this sector in Liverpool has always been lower than other areas of Merseyside. For example, in 2004, 6.9% of all jobs in the city were in manufacturing. This compared to 24.5% in Knowsley; and 14.2% in St Helens.
One of our better known success stories can be found at Halewood near Speke, where Ford Jaguar has invested £400 million at its plant in recent years. This money helped the plant improve to produce a new 6-speed transmission, whilst both the baby Jaguar X400, and the Freelander are now being built here. This investment paid off in ensuring the plant's future when it was bought by Tata in early 2008. Ford Jaguar employs about 2,200 people, many of whom live in the local area.
Liverpool's Strategic Investment Areas (SIAs) are good places to set up a new business. Here, firms can find a range of sites and buildings suitable for their needs. These include:
- Boulevard Industry Park, in the Speke Garston SIA. This is home to a number of firms who supply Ford Jaguar with items used to make their vehicles. The Park is also home to firms who make medicines; these include such names as Medimmune and Chiron Vaccines.
- Estuary Commerce Park, also in the Speke Garston SIA, is Liverpool's premier out-of-town business park. It has some 121 hectares, and offers land for high-quality office and manufacturing use.
- G Park (formerley Axis Business Park) in the A580 SIA has 78,965 square metres (849,973 square feet) of space available for use. It is in a very good position right next to our motorway network.
- Aintree Industrial Estate in the A580 SIA is home to over 100 businesses. These include well-known brands such as Jacobs; and local employers such as Trigon Snacks and North West Aerosols.
- Wellington Employment Park in the Atlantic Gateway SIA is a new site that is currently being prepared. When complete, it will have 155,000 square feet of floor space available for firms to move into.
As well as sites and buildings on offer to firms wishing to start up in Liverpool, there is also a range of funding to help train local people where they need to adapt their existing skills to suit particular needs. You can find out more about how we can help your business on the Liverpool Vision website.
You can find out more about the manufacturing sector in Liverpool in our Economic Briefing.