For at least the last decade, amid an almost continual stream of news stories about the steady decline of British manufacturing, more and more people have been asking the same question;

"Why don't we make anything in Britain anymore"?

At a time when the nation is gripped by a fever of economic uncertainty, this seems a very valid question. The fact is though, as a nation, we still manufacture some of the best products in the world. The problem is though, automation in manufacturing means that fewer people are required in the production process hence, fewer jobs in manufacturing as a whole.

So what can be done about it? Well, without getting too complicated about the whole thing, the simplest answer is for more companies to invest in British manufacturing rather than outsourcing overseas where labour is cheaper. If we manufacture more of the products we use in Britain, more jobs in manufacturing will open up. If we export more British made products overseas, then even more jobs will become available.

If more people question the origins of the products they buy, make an effort to buy British made products where possible and voice demand for more British made products, maybe as a nation we can make a change.

For nearly 30 years, we have manufactured the Urban Life range of kitchens in-house, in Britain. Five years ago, we made an investment in a new factory in Grays, Essex creating a further 15 new jobs and, with more people demanding our own range of British manufactured kitchens over imports, we’ve been able to invest in more machinery, more personnel and we forecast this trend to continue.

There’s more to this than simply saying ‘Made in Britain’ though. If the products we offer don’t meet the levels of quality our customers have come to expect, if they aren’t current in design and competitive in price, people simply wouldn’t buy them, regardless of where they’re manufactured.

There are benefits too from an environmental stand-point; the materials we use are sustainably sourced and, with the greater majority of our suppliers basing their manufacturing facilities in Britain, the carbon required to produce one of our Urban Life kitchens is lower than that of our European counterparts because the transport miles involved are far lower.

We’re as proud to be able to label our Urban Life product ‘Made in Britain’ as you will be to own one.