The report found that 55 per cent of those asked said they were planning to create new jobs a 17 per cent increase on last year.
Chris Poland, ops director at Acro Aircraft Seating in Redhill, Surrey, said: We are urgently in need of engineers and are actively recruiting there are not enough available. We expect to double our production output over the next nine months.
The report also found that 66 per cent reported sales growth in the past six months and 79 per cent expect them to grow between now and October. Half of manufacturers (51 per cent) said they had an appetite to develop new products and 59 per cent plan to invest in new plant and machinery.
Joe Bowes, Managing Director of Plastic Parts Direct, specialists in plastic injection moulding in Banbury, Oxon said: By investing in up- to-date technology and equipment we are looking to increase our turnover by 10% this year.
Chris Needham, Operations Manager for MAS in the South East and London, is delighted with the positive messages coming out of the Barometer. He said, Its fantastic to see confidence continuing to build in the region.
Across a multitude of sectors, the businesses that MAS helps all recognise the need to build for the future – and the rise in sales and employment reflects that trend. This survey is a great indicator of the many success stories within our manufacturing economy.
