Engineering and Manufacturing
240 Manufacturing Companies & 4,400 Manufacturing Jobs in Angus
GVA (at basic prices) £529.6m
(72% increase since 2008)
GVA per head for manufacturing sector £120,582
(113% increase since 2008)
The Engineering and Manufacturing (EAM) sector has been a strong driver of the Angus economy. Although the number of businesses and employment levels have fallen since 2008, growth in productivity (basic output) and wages have outstripped the national average (Scotland -15%, Angus +32% |Scotland +26%, Angus +85% respectively).
Angus enjoys a core of very successful locally based companies that export across the world and has developed strong links overseas to the benefit of local businesses and economy.
Invest in Angus are keen to build on this and look at international markets who offer opportunities for business trade. Developing links in a global market remains a key focus for the benefit of local companies in line with the Angus Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP). This provides a roadmap on reducing carbon emissions and increase the resilience of the region, positioning angus to capitalise on the significant economic opportunities offered by a low carbon economy.
Our key priorities from the framework for the Angus Economic Strategy involve supporting:
Enterprise and Infrastructure – supporting the local development and physical regeneration to create favourable market conditions that meet with demands of industry, assisting with prosperity and sustainability of our local economy.
Skills – providing local people with employment opportunities and investing in their future is important to a skilled workforce for business growth. We will work in partnership with our business development agencies and provide business advice and upskilling for local enterprises.
Life Sciences
Significant investment has been made by GlaxoSmithKline at their base in Montrose. GSK in Montrose produce the active ingredients for inhalers that help 20 million users everyday. Scotland’s chemical science sector has some 200+ core businesses and it punches well above its weight, particularly in global markets.
GSK employs approximately 550 people and 6th largest worldwide pharmaceuticals company. It has a significant investment in Montrose totalling £110M in 2018.
Montrose Port
Montrose Port, managed by The Montrose Port Authority, is one of the busiest ports in Scotland and is home to a number of key businesses and with strong growth plans. It is the largest handler in the UK and possibly EU of chain and anchor and continuing to grow. It has strong links to oil and gas industry, grain, agriculture, timber, aggregates, scrap metal and handles most of the pulp imported into Scotland. Around £5.2m of investment is proposed in Berths 7 and 8 over the next 12 months thereafter a further £10m of investment is planned in Berths 9 and 10.
Montrose Port has been selected by SSE Renewables as the operations and maintenance base for a multi-billion Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm project.
Oil and Gas
This subsector represents over 7% of total Scottish GVA. Scotland’s oil and gas industry has worked in the harsh conditions of the North Sea and has demanded constant development of new technologies, processes and best-in-class training offering a range of infrastructure, facilities, skills and supply chain to support decommissioning, subsea and renewables industries.
Baker Hughes a GE company, has invested significantly in extensions and new equipment over recent years, estimated to be around £30m in total. Most recently, supported by £4.9 million Scottish Enterprise grant BHGE have invested £31 million in a Centre of Excellence which will create 100 new jobs and provide one of the most advanced facilities in the word for testing, assembly, research and development and workforce training.
Tay Cities Engineering Partnership
Tay Cities Engineering Partnership has been given the green light to create a multi-million-pound Engineering Partnership Innovation Centre, marking a significant milestone for the engineering sector in Scotland. The Scottish Government have committed up to £2 million to the Tay Cities Engineering Partnership, as part of the Tay Cities Region Deal, which will drive the transformation of manufacturing processes required to meet the ambitions of The Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Engineering Partnership Innovation Centre (EPIC) – the creation of a state-of-the-art centre for training, demonstration, and product prototyping, whilst developing foundation to graduate level and upskilling programmes to meet skills demand and enhance employability, career development and staff up-skilling.
Scottish Government Economy Secretary, Kate Forbes, said: “The Tay Cities Engineering Partnership is an excellent example of the public and private sectors working together to keep Scotland at the forefront of engineering and manufacturing innovation, creating new opportunities for our young people to develop the skills they will need to flourish in our future workplaces. Our £2 million investment comes at a crucial time, as Scotland recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic and we build the innovative wellbeing economy that will drive our future prosperity.”
Working with the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, the Tay Cities Engineering Partnership will bring together key private and public organisations, including Angus Council, Dundee & Angus College, Fife College, Perth College UHI, Perth and Kinross Council and Angus Training Group.
