On 1 July Airedale International hosted an event to launch Lord Adonis’ report entitled Mending the Fractured Economy: Smarter State, Better Jobs.

The Report is the output of a review commissioned by the Labour Party to understand the main barriers to growth for regional employers and is based on consultation events held in 10 UK cities including Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester, Milton Keynes, London, Newcastle, Oxford and Sheffield. The findings of the initial review identified a number of issues believed to be holding back business growth including skills shortages, particularly for technical roles, and a lack of targeted city-region investment in transport and housing, in addition to other barriers such as access to finance, support for exporters and targeted support for R&D and innovation.

The event was led by Ed Miliband, MP, leader of the Labour Party and leader of the Opposition and Lord Andrew Adonis, UK shadow infrastructure minister. Members of Airedale’s workforce and senior representatives from some of Leeds’ most prominent public and private sector organisations also attended, giving them the opportunity to raise questions with the Labour leader.

Airedale has a 40-year long history in the design and manufacture of high technology cooling solutions for the data centre, process and retail industries, and its clients include HSBC, IBM, the John Lewis Partnership, the London Stock Exchange, Vodafone and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Established in 1974, it exports to 60 countries worldwide and has production facilities in South Africa and offices in Moscow and Dubai.

The business is typical of the challenges identified in the review. Built on the back of the region’s strong manufacturing and engineering heritage, Airedale believes that continuous investment and innovation are essential to its success. As a major employer in the region, Airedale performs a vital role in the local economy, creating sustainable employment across the spectrum from apprenticeships to graduate opportunities. With the UK market approaching saturation point, Airedale is pursuing growth through export markets which it says requires wider access to funding and government support and a commitment to promoting ‘Brand GB’ around the globe.

Managing director, Clive Parkman, said: “We are delighted that Airedale was chosen to host today’s event. As one of the region’s largest manufacturers, we recognise that positive support from government and a strong relationship with local education providers are key to developing the necessary skills and knowledge that enable us to develop our people and so underpin our growth potential and future success.

“We welcome this review and hopefully the subsequent actions that will provide the right investment, appropriately targeted, to enable the training and development of people of all ages for the benefit of UK business.”