Will 2013 be a good year for manufacturers?

Recent good news in manufacturing suggests that this will be a good year for the industry. Chris Loveridge, Specialist Technical Sales Consultant at Hays, shares his thoughts on what will happen this year. An expert in all aspects of technical sales, including manufacturing, engineering and industrial markets, he would be happy to hear from anyone interested in this post by email (Chris.Loveridge@hays.com) or on LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/hayssales. 

There have been a few pieces of good news for manufacturing sales in the past few weeks. According to a recent YouGov survey, “Your Outlook for 2013 – a business survey”, over half of UK manufacturers are confident about 2013 prospects and two fifths expect to see an increase in sales this year.

The positive feeling from UK manufacturers is supported by the fact that manufacturing hit a 15 month high in December, according to the CIPS Manufacturing Purchasing Index. The general feeling is that the economic recovery is gaining momentum, and that manufacturing will clearly play a big part in this. The hope is that manufacturing can be a catalyst for an investment-led recovery.

However, the YouGov survey also showed that 57% of UK manufacturers perceive Eurozone economic concerns to be the biggest threat to their business in 2013. The ongoing uncertainty continues to have a negative effect on the market. But while this is a concern, there is still potential for companies to thrive, particularly by focusing on non-EU markets and particularly Brazil, Russia, India and China.

The general trend is positive for manufacturing and we think it will be a big year for UK manufacturers. This is great news for manufacturing salespeople, meaning they should be able to capitalise on this and make more sales this year. It is also creating some fantastic opportunities for experience manufacturing salespeople, particularly those with strong experience of relationship-building.

How will you ensure that 2013 is a successful year for you?

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