New Balance Sports Shoes

New Balance is an American owned company with a factory in Fimbly in Cumbria. They are the last factory mass manufacturing trainers and other sports shoes in the UK and are well ahead of their competition in the Far East. Some of their items are even exported to those areas.

The factory was built just less than 30 years ago, and after other shoe making companies in the area closed down, New Balance had many skilled workers available. Up to now some of those who worked there from the start remain and work along side new younger recruits.

Surviving the Cumbrian floods as well the recession the company plans on following up its success by trebling productions from last year taking sales from £1M to £3M.

Source: Working Lunch, BBC. (27-01-2010)

New Balance Sports Shoes

UK Space Industry

When imagining space crafts most people would think of the USA. However there is also a growing space industry in the UK. The space industry is said to be one of the highest value adding sectors in the UK economy.

Surrey Satellite Technology is a manufacturing company in this industry based in Guildford, Surrey, although their products are usually launched in sites across the former USSR.

The company launched 34 satellites in the last 25 years. Most of the satellites they make are for taking images of the Earth using cameras, but they also make other telecommunication and navigational ones as well. The biggest contract they have right now is making 'Galileo' which will be a navigation system for Europe and up against Americas GPS system.

The company claims to already be popular within the industry. The popularity has grown out of the country and last year a European Satellite manufacturer bought a controlling stake of the business.

So how does this small British company compete with the massive manufacturers in the United States? Their answer is lowering the costs. Rather than using the traditional and very expensive space qualified components, Surrey Satellite Technology uses commercial of-the-shelf parts.

With their alternative methods, this UK company has managed to give a substitute to the American products for the UK and European space industry, and so far their exports are on the rise.

Source: Working Lunch, BBC. (26-01-2010)

UK Space Industry