BOAL UK and Made in Britain call for long-term confidence in British manufacturing at 2026 ALFED Business Briefing
Industry leaders have called for long-term investment in British manufacturing capability, to ensure the sustainability of the sector both in the UK and on an international stage.
John Peace, Chief Executive of Made in Britain, and Emma Swann, Managing Director of BOAL UK, spoke at the 2026 ALFED Business Briefing – which brought together manufacturers and industry leaders to examine the risks, resilience and opportunities facing Britain’s aluminium sector.
Emma Swann stated that Britain must invest in its manufacturing capability today if it wants to retain and build on the skills, expertise and productive capacity needed to compete in international markets in the decades ahead.
She called for greater investment to underpin long-term confidence in Britain’s productive economy, arguing that ambitious ventures in manufacturing create economic and social value that reaches far beyond the factory floor.
Emma Swann, Managing Director of BOAL UK, said: “The decisions manufacturers make today will actively shape our future by determining what Britain is capable of making tomorrow. At BOAL UK, we employ around 150 people in specialist aluminium extrusion, so investment in manufacturing is about far more than machinery and production capacity. It supports skilled jobs, develops expertise and creates value that reaches well beyond the factory floor.
“Long-term thinking simply isn’t optional in manufacturing. Investment decisions can take years to bear fruit, but their impact on underlying infrastructure and capability can last for decades. If Britain wants a productive economy that can compete internationally, manufacturers need the confidence and ambition to keep investing in their people and capabilities here in the UK.”
John Pearce, Chief Executive of the official trade body Made in Britain, also spoke of the importance of taking a longer-term view of Britain’s industrial capabilities in his opening keynote address at the event.
His speech, Championing UK Manufacturing: Identity, Pride & Progress, urged manufacturers to “think in decades, not days” when considering investments whose consequences could still be felt in ten or twenty years’ time. He argued that manufacturers should aspire to more than remaining resilient through difficult economic conditions, telling delegates that “growth, not grit” must be the ambition.
John Pearce, Chief Executive of Made in Britain, said: “We must never lose sight of the fact that manufacturing is ultimately the act of creating the future around us. Every time a business invests in a machine that will still be working ten years from now, takes on somebody whose career is only just beginning or commits resources to developing a new product, it is making a concerted judgement about tomorrow.
“That is why I increasingly ‘think in decades rather than days’. British manufacturers must do the same. They have demonstrated tremendous resilience over the past few years especially, but our shared ambition should be much greater than simply enduring whatever comes next.
“We need manufacturers to be profitable enough to invest with confidence and retain the knowledge and capability to make the things this country will need in the decades ahead. For the aluminium industry in particular, that expertise will be increasingly important as Britain modernises its infrastructure, transport and use of finite resources.”
The aluminium sector was highlighted as an example of why long-term industrial capability matters, with the material underpinning economic activity across transport, infrastructure and wider manufacturing supply chains, while its ability to be repeatedly recycled is becoming increasingly important.
BOAL Extrusion, a British manufacturer of bespoke aluminium extrusions, supporting customers from design and die development through to machining and finishing, also joined an industry panel examining the risks, resilience and opportunities facing the UK aluminium sector. The company supplies sectors including construction, transport and solar energy.
Two other Made in Britain-accredited manufacturers attended the briefing: Multipanel UK, the UK’s only manufacturer of aluminium composite panels, and Aluminium Shapes, which specialises in bespoke aluminium extrusions, machined and finished components.
Around 70% of Made in Britain manufacturers export their goods, and Pearce told delegates that strong domestic manufacturing capability and international trade should reinforce one another.
Nadine Bloxsome, CEO of ALFED, said: “For us, reindustrialisation has to be about more than simply managing the capability we have left. It has to mean creating the conditions for businesses to invest, grow and rebuild capability here in the UK.
“Aluminium is fundamental to so many of the industries we are asking to grow – from transport and infrastructure to energy, defence and advanced manufacturing – so the decisions we make now around competitiveness, skills, energy and investment will have consequences for decades.
“Our Business Briefing was deliberately about looking beyond resilience alone. UK manufacturers have shown repeatedly that they can adapt and respond to difficult conditions, but the ambition now has to be growth. That means giving businesses the confidence to make long-term decisions, invest in people and productive capacity, and retain more of the skills and industrial value we need here in the UK.”
The 2026 ALFED Business Briefing took place on Thursday 24th September at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon.
To find out more about Made in Britain and to discover verified UK manufacturers, visit www.madeinbritain.org.
