Resiliant chemical sector at heart of UK growth, says Chemical Industries Association

The UK’s £60 billion chemical sector is fundamental to the growth of manufacturing and other activities across a range of sectors, said Steve Elliott, chief executive, Chemical Industries Association.

He told the audience that while the industry continues to contribute over £70 million everyday to the UK economy; spend over £5 billion each year on research and development; invest almost £2 billion a year in capital expenditure and provide employment for over half a million people in well paid jobs,

the activity those numbers generate will be reinforced by the growth in demand from key customer industries which are helping to boost the country’s manufacturing performance.  

Confirming a strong start to the year and the potential for 5% growth for UK chemicals in 2014, Elliott endorsed chancellor George Osborne’s announcement to create a ‘northern powerhouse’.

Elliott said: “I was delighted to hear the announcement by the chancellor of the exchequer to create a northern ‘powerhouse’ by linking the great economic cities of the north. For too long, unnecessary competing against each other has delivered one of the greatest unfulfilled potentials of our generation as city and region fought against city and region.  And I agree with him that the north is blessed with outstanding universities that are leading the way in terms of cooperation between academia and industry. Science here in the north, should be turned into the growth here in the north. That is a message we in the Chemical Industries Association have been leading for a long time including this week in parliament at our All Party Parliamentary Group.”

He added: “I now want to hold the government to account on this by getting them to move quickly and see their words turn into action. If we do this then the country will have the best chance it has ever had to rebuild our supply chains and sustain manufacturing’s recent  recovery and growth through more UK chemistry.”

Winners of the evening:

ABB manufacturing & resource efficiency award

Huntsman Pigments, Hartlepool

BASF young ambassador award

Peter Harding, GlaxoSmithKline, Worthing

Bilfinger Industrial Services engineering excellence award

Carcharodon, Thornton Curtis

Reputation award

Syngenta, Huddersfield

Environmental leadership award

Huntsman Pigments, Hartlepool

Gold standard skills award (sponsored by Cogent and NASAPI)

Essar Oil (UK), Stanlow Manufacturing Complex, Ellesmere Port

Innovation award (sponsored by GSK

Robinson Brothers, West Bromwich

Health leadership award (sponsored by Johnson Matthey)

Novartis Grimsby

Responsible care award (sponsored by INEOS)

GlaxoSmithKline, Ulverston

Special responsible care award for process safety leadership (sponsored by Shell)

Pentagon Chemicals (Holdings), Widnes

CIA company of the year

Robinson Brothers, West Bromwich and Huntsman Pigments, Hartlepool