Keep up-or die

摘要

Certain echelons of the aerospace industry must have given a deep collective gulp earlier this month, especially among the 'lower tiers'. It was this sector that was presented with an ultimatum by the rest of the industry: keep up or die, said the report by the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC). The threat, while blunt, was also perfunctory to a degree, and reflects the irritation felt by industry leaders at those among the long suffering supply chain who refuse to move with the times. The SBAC has taken a long, hard look at the practice and extent of outsourcing to low-cost economies by the UK aerospace sector, and its conclusions are refreshingly frank. There are some parts of the aerospace engineering business where the UK will never now be able to remain competitive, the report said. For many companies this was not a warning, but a death sentence. The report said the industry must decide which of its limbs are allowed to wither and which must be fostered into long-term profit.