Member Article

Make it in Great Britain exhibition opens

Photograph by Heather Cowper

The Make it in Great Britain exhibition has opened today at the Science Museum in London, designed to showcase the best of British manufacturing.

The free exhibition is part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ campaign of the same name, and hopes to disprove the commonly held belief that Britain is no longer a manufacturing nation.

New technology from companies across the manufacturing sector will be on display, including the finalists in the business department’s Make it in Great Britain Challenge.

The competition is designed to seek out the best new products and innovations that are yet to be released onto the market.

After a public vote, the winner was revealed today as Bedflex, a device designed by a group of apprentices from BAE Systems, which aims to assist the recovery of amputees and other patients by helping them perform bed-based exercises.

BAE Systems Apprentice Team Leader, Sean Gallagher said: “It’s really exciting that our
product is creating continued interest. The fact that we have been voted the
People’s Choice as part of the Make it in Great Britain exhibition just adds more momentum to
the story.”

The exhibition will be open until 9 September and is timed to coincide with the Olympics.

It is hoped that the display will improve the image of British manufacturing in the eyes of visitors and help attract young people to a career in manufacturing.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “Generating £137bn each year and employing 2.5 million people, manufacturing is a vital part of the UK’s economy.

“Perceptions of the industry are outdated and need to change if we are going to attract the talent needed to support manufacturing in the long term. Both Government and industry have a role to play, which is why we launched the Make it in Great Britain campaign and are hosting this exhibition.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Cooper .