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Global exports a must for manufacturers post Brexit, says NELEP Chair

Leaders from the North East’s Manufacturing and Engineering sectors have been told that they must embrace global opportunities in order to grow in a post-Brexit world, at an event held at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art organised by Jackson Hogg Recruitment.

While addressing directors, senior managers and leading technical professionals, Andrew Hodgson, chair of the North East Local Economic Partnership (LEP) said: “The way the world does business is changing and the way we manufacture is changing.

“For many firms the Brexit vote has triggered a realisation that global export opportunities, both outside and in the EU, are essential for future growth.

“We have already seen how innovation has helped companies in the energy sector and its supply chain overcome the drop in oil prices.

“The businesses that succeed in other engineering industries over the next decades will be those that embrace cutting edge technologies like artificial intelligence.”

Mr Hodgson, who is also CEO of Tyneside-based SMD, added: “While many North East businesses are making things they can export, not all of them sell their goods and services abroad.

“Those that aren’t are already missing out and will continue to do so as the importance and value of exporting grows. The UK, especially the North East, has a fantastic reputation for quality, built up over centuries and still well-deserved today. We should be capitalising on this.”

The event, entitled ‘Global Opportunities’, was hosted by Richard Hogg, Managing Director of Jackson Hogg Recruitment, which provides specialist recruitment services in the Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing sectors.

A former mechanical engineer, Richard founded Jackson Hogg Recruitment to bring a relationship-based approach to how technical firms find employees, from graduates up to board-level appointments.

Richard said: “We organised this event to get the message out to people in industry that there are opportunities around the globe.

Many of our clients already operate outside of the UK and the EU, but others haven’t made the leap yet. We started out mainly looking after companies in the North East, but now serve clients in Europe and in North America.

“This event is an example of what we do for our clients above and beyond the realm of recruitment, we want them to benefit from our network too. “

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