Member Article

NEPIC boss voices concerns about "complacent" business development attitudes in North East

The boss of process industry body NEPIC says he is concerned that complacency and conservative business development attitudes in the region could lead to North East missing out on a slice of the pie.

NEPIC chief executive Dr Stan Higgins returned home from a “highly fruitful” ten-day trade mission to India, but said he was disappointed by the lack of North East engineering firms in attendance, and claims enormous opportunities were missed.

Speaking at the Annual Dinner of the Institute of Measurement and Control, Dr Higgins detailed major infrastructure growth in emerging economies.

He said complacency, ignorance and conservative business development activities would lead to the region ‘not getting a slice of the pie’.

He went on to explain that German engineering companies had a significant presence when compared to their British counterparts - and with the Indian economy predicted to be the 4th largest by 2050, that we must ‘get a piece of the action’ if our economy is to remain healthy in the future.

Dr Higgins said: “There is a presumption that companies in these emerging economies won’t pay at the same rates as in the West, yet 1,000 engineers based in London and Portsmouth were involved in the Reliance Jaguar Project in India over a 6 year period.

“This is the largest, cutting edge refinery complex in the World and I think the companies represented in the room tonight should get some of the action, yet you were nowhere to be seen.”

Delegates accompanying NEPIC to India included Wilton-based Agility Logistics, Thornaby’s K Home International, Jacobs and local enterprise partnership Tees Valley Unlimited, Johnson Partners and TTE but to name a few.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .