Bernard Perry

Globalization, mergers and acquisitions, vertical integrations and partnerships, all demand more of the people at the top.

The UK's manufacturing landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade due to globalisation in general and the rise of low-cost economies in particular.

The aerospace & defence sector is undergoing considerable change, especially as the credit crunch continues to make life increasingly challenging - airlines postpone deliveries and defence budgets are cut by cash-strapped national economies. On the civil side, established multinationals will continue to dominate with large platforms.

The electronics & precision engineering sector remains relatively robust in the UK. Whilst high volume commodity manufacturing is routinely redeployed to the low-cost regions of the world, the UK enjoys a strong reputation for innovation, quality and technical excellence.

The UK’s process & chemicals sector has changed almost beyond recognition over the past twenty years. Once dominated by large companies, it is more likely that the sector participants these days are controlled by private equity firms, or overseas based businesses.

UK infrastructure, underinvested for many years, in both the public and private sectors, is now heavily into catch-up mode. There are large numbers of new transportation schemes in planning and underway, particularly in rail, but also in road and aviation.

Support Services is a rapidly growing sector, as many organisations chose to focus on core activites whilst outsourcing their other activities to specialist service providers.