Manufacturing business software giant Infor has entered into a two-year partnership with EEF, the upshot of which is the manufacturers' organisation now recognises Infor as its technology of choice for UK manufacturers. Emma Rainey, UK marketing director for Infor, explains that under the terms of the deal, Infor will sponsor the 2010 Future Manufacturing Awards.
Infor will also help run research among the EEF membership and sponsor networking events. In addition Infor will assist the EEF in its representations of UK manufacturing to the government.
"UK manufacturing industry is undergoing radical change and a great deal of Infor's customers are caught up in these developments," comments Rainey.
"The UK still has a lot of benefits to offer manufacturers – we have advanced infrastructure, a highly developed skills base and strong protection for intellectual property rights," she adds.
"Manufacturers are leveraging these and adapting to different ways of doing business. As a result we have seen a reassessment of IT and the use of technology: there is more investment in the supply chain aimed at gaining better visibility of critical data."
She points to recent EEF research, which shows that, while heavier industry has suffered strongly during the recession, small, agile, R&D focused manufacturers have thrived. The point, she says, is that the "balance sheet recession" has seen not only a drop in demand for manufacturing but also aggressive restructuring – and hence the Infor/EEF partnerhsip.
"The UK is the world's sixth largest manufacturing nation, and it is good news that economic recovery is now underway, although its strength remains in doubt," says Lee Hopley, chief economist at the EEF.
"But to keep the UK's place it needs to keep ahead of global competition. Technology is one part of that advantage and, as we support manufacturers to grow their businesses, especially with regards to export, we are confident that our partnership with Infor will help deliver added value to our members."
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