1997 showed impressive exports rise for UK controls industry

Citation

(1998), "1997 showed impressive exports rise for UK controls industry", Assembly Automation, Vol. 18 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.1998.03318cab.009

1997 showed impressive exports rise for UK controls industry

1997 showed impressive exports rise for UK controls industry

Keywords Automation, Exports, United Kingdom

GAMBICA, the association for the instrumentation, control and automation industry in the UK, reports official statistics for the sector indicate a 10 per cent rise in exports in 1997 compared with the previous year.

Total exports from the UK in the same period rose by only 2.5 per cent, from £167.7 billion to £171.9 billion. Yet the contribution of the controls and automation systems industry leapt from £4.63 billion in 1996 to an impressive £5.12 billion in 1997. The trade balance, always positive in this sector, grew by almost 50 per cent to £1.2 billion.

The industry's share of total exports in 1996 was 2.8 per cent. In 1997 it climbed to 3 per cent. The share of exports to the EC rose from 2.2 per cent to 2.3 per cent, and that to the rest of the world from 3.5 per cent to 3.8 per cent.

This is clear evidence of the strength of the UK instrumentation, control and automation systems industry, improving through 1996 and 1997, but contrasts sharply with the current downturn in exports, owing to the strength of sterling. The association recently reported about one-third of its members were seeing a decrease in overseas business for this reason.

Statistics source­ Business Monitor MM20A, HMSO, SITC 87.

For further information contact: Colin Andrews at GAMBICA. Tel: +44 (0) 0171 793 3050; Fax: +44 (0) 0171 793 7635; e-mail: assoc@gambica.org.uk URL http://www.gambica.demon.co.uk