What is meant by “craft-based industries” and why are they important ? An obvious example is the ceramics industry of the West Midlands, one of whose most famous names “Royal Worcester Spode” was yesterday placed in administration. In recent years bad news about the region’s ceramics industry has abounded and it is not my intention here to dwell overmuch on the causes, except to say that successive governments, at the local, regional and national levels have often been unhelpful in a variety of ways. This is hardly surprising, when, as in the case of Royal Worcester Spode, business managers have frequently demonstrated lack vision, strategy and the essential panache required to run a successful creative industry. It may be that new start-up businesses – which may one day become larger ones – are the best hope for the region’s craft-based industries. However, I do not not believe that this “business model” offers all the answers.
By way of contrast to the current fortunes of Royal Worcester Spode, I want to look at those of another Worcester-based business, whose origins lie in craft industry. This is the Japanese company, Mazak, whose European headquarters are based to the north of the city. As it happens, Mazak started out, nearly a century ago, as a maker of weaving machines. The business, which remains in private ownership, has evolved over the years to become one of the world’s most respected precision-engineering companies. The Mazak story is told in the following extract from www.americanmachine.com
“Sadakichi Yamazaki Mazak Corp.
The founder of Mazak, Sadakichi Yamazaki, started this world-renowned company as a young lathe machinist with a passion for design. Yamazaki’s earliest invention, created in his 20s, was a machine that became a model for systems to come in the weaving industry. With that success, he expanded into creating woodworking machinery, but found it difficult to get machine tools needed to produce the equipment. So, he solved this supply problem by simply making his own machine tools, which led to the start of Yamazaki Mazak in 1927.”
In the present West Midlands economic context (of which more is said in the post which immediately follows this one), I would argue that craft-based industries – whether established “heritage” businesses, start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises, or “spin-off hi-tech” manufacturing – are particularly vital to the future of the region, and one in which our new Secretary of State for Business should be taking a very keen interest. They should be supported in a variety of ways and not just because of their contribution to the economy. Royal Worcester Spode, I would argue, is a business of not only regional but national cultural importance. It should, therefore, be afforded the kind of treatment given to other “National Treasures”. I also wonder whether the public interest might justify a governmental shareholding of the kind found in an enduringly successful manufacturing country such as Germany.
The Witch of Worcester 