Michelin, Gallaghers etc - lots of bad economic news!

Ticked

The future lies in small businesses - provided they are given support and not shafted at every turn by bureaucracy. Government must reduce and simplify paperwork, and provide not just startup incentives but long term support. I cannot see that our politicians could or would ever provide the proper structures for growth. If you disagree about the future being in small businesses, look at Lisburn. I don't think there is a major employer in the district, even Coca Cola doesn't employ a large staff. Lisburn runs with small businesses, yes, there are boarded up shops in the town but not as many as other towns. Small businesses come and go, the loss of any one, while regrettable, is not a disaster and there will soon be another startup to fill the void. It's sustainable, and with proper nurture, will grow. It's up to our 'leaders'.
Maybe a return to cottage industries would be no bad thing!

qwert_yuiop

Seems it's pretty easy to set up a company in the uk compared to other places. Read about that Moldovan bloke who stole $1 billion from their central bank through a maze of uk registered companies.

Mistral001

Ticked wrote: »

The future lies in small businesses - provided they are given support and not shafted at every turn by bureaucracy. Government must reduce and simplify paperwork, and provide not just startup incentives but long term support. I cannot see that our politicians could or would ever provide the proper structures for growth. If you disagree about the future being in small businesses, look at Lisburn. I don't think there is a major employer in the district, even Coca Cola doesn't employ a large staff. Lisburn runs with small businesses, yes, there are boarded up shops in the town but not as many as other towns. Small businesses come and go, the loss of any one, while regrettable, is not a disaster and there will soon be another startup to fill the void. It's sustainable, and with proper nurture, will grow. It's up to our 'leaders'.
Maybe a return to cottage industries would be no bad thing!

Lisburn, I suggest, relies on being a dormitory town for Belfast - hardly a model for running a whole economy.

Ticked

Mistral001 wrote: »

Lisburn, I suggest, relies on being a dormitory town for Belfast - hardly a model for running a whole economy.

True, but the same can be said for Bangor, Newtownards, Carrickfergus, Antrim - even Ballymena!

tara747

motorguy wrote: »

Very sad for those involved and those impacted.

A massive blow for the local economy up there, however job markets move and evolve - you only have to look at all the other large companies who have come here over the last few years and are employing thousands.

Thousands in highly paid skilled manufacturing jobs? Where??

motorguy wrote: »

They wont be directly replaced, but they will be indirectly replaced.

Mmmm, probably by a few call centres paying minimum wage.

tara747

Mistral001 wrote: »

The loss of a source of Michelin-trained fitters (mechanic) to the surrounding area will be quite a blow I suspect. I think there is hardly a small factory in the wider area without at least one ex Michelin-trained fitter.


PS. I know many of the present fitters will perhaps start up businesses or get employed by local manufacturing businesses, but Michelin as a trainer of fitters will disappear.

I hope they do - I support the idea of small local businesses. Will there be a market for their businesses, though - and will they be strangled by red tape?

qwert_yuiop

Ticked wrote: »

The future lies in small businesses - provided they are given support and not shafted at every turn by bureaucracy. Government must reduce and simplify paperwork, and provide not just startup incentives but long term support. I cannot see that our politicians could or would ever provide the proper structures for growth. If you disagree about the future being in small businesses, look at Lisburn. I don't think there is a major employer in the district, even Coca Cola doesn't employ a large staff. Lisburn runs with small businesses, yes, there are boarded up shops in the town but not as many as other towns. Small businesses come and go, the loss of any one, while regrettable, is not a disaster and there will soon be another startup to fill the void. It's sustainable, and with proper nurture, will grow. It's up to our 'leaders'.
Maybe a return to cottage industries would be no bad thing!

Maghaberry prison? Not something to brag about.

Caging people - big business on the Isle of Wight.

motorguy

tara747 wrote: »

Thousands in highly paid skilled manufacturing jobs? Where??

I didnt say manufacturing specifically - as i've already said whilst this is terrible for those directly and indirectly affected, the job market itself is quite bouyant and there are many large firms who have come here and are continuing to come here.

Manufacturing isnt the force it once was in northern ireland, but it has been replaced. You only have to look at the relative decline of H&W and ship building and the Titanic Quarter area for evidence of that - a thriving business park now involving many multinational companies.

I'm sorry that some of those who have lost their jobs may not get jobs of equivalent financial stature, however those who are good and committed will most likely go on to build other careers.

tara747 wrote: »

Mmmm, probably by a few call centres paying minimum wage.

You only have to look at the big employers here in NI to see thats simply not true.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/top-100-companies/

You're well down the list before you even see Call Centres registering in that list.

However i wouldnt be so quick to dismiss call centres as "minimum wage" jobs. Granted starting salaries arent that great, however there are loads of opportunities for progression. My wife for example over the last 20 years has moved from a call centre agent right through to a Senior Contact Centre Manager for one of those top 20 companies with some 1,200 staff under her and a salary to match.

My son also, started in a part time job in a call centre when studying at Uni and that experience has got him in to Santander in their belfast head office on a very decent starting salary, and with many career paths open to him.

Call centre IT work was very good to me for ten years or so there, and i used it to springboard into a different career direction.

Finally, call centres dont "just" bring telephony work.

Consider GEM, who were bought out by Concentrix back in 2011. Concentrix have now expanded the business to include business support and software development. They've also bought the Maysfield leisure centre site and plan to develop 130,000 sq ft of office space on it for further expansion into software development.

Likewise - a lot of the big banks consider call centre work as the entry point into their organisations and then promote from within.

Oh - and finally - the factory isnt due to close to 2018 - thats 3 years away. Granted i am sure it will ramp down over that time, but If i were there i'd be using that time wisely to retrain with new skills or courses, or reducing my outgoings if they were high to adjust to perhaps having to take a lesser paid job.

motorguy

Ticked wrote: »

The future lies in small businesses - provided they are given support and not shafted at every turn by bureaucracy. Government must reduce and simplify paperwork, and provide not just startup incentives but long term support. I cannot see that our politicians could or would ever provide the proper structures for growth. If you disagree about the future being in small businesses, look at Lisburn. I don't think there is a major employer in the district, even Coca Cola doesn't employ a large staff. Lisburn runs with small businesses, yes, there are boarded up shops in the town but not as many as other towns. Small businesses come and go, the loss of any one, while regrettable, is not a disaster and there will soon be another startup to fill the void. It's sustainable, and with proper nurture, will grow. It's up to our 'leaders'.
Maybe a return to cottage industries would be no bad thing!

As has been said, Lisburn really is just where people live to commute to Belfast.

We need - and have - a balance of new small businesses starting, growth of businesses that are here and investment by large multinationals.

motorguy

Mistral001 wrote: »

Lisburn, I suggest, relies on being a dormitory town for Belfast - hardly a model for running a whole economy.

The bulk of jobs are around Belfast and its commutable from most parts of NI. At one point i did an 80 mile return commute into the city. Typical of most cities on the mainland too i guess. Smaller towns within say, a 50 mile radius and people commute in.

There are other growing pockets of large employers. Craigavon does ok these days as does Newry. Cant comment on other places though as i'm not familiar with them.

Also, whilst a relatively small niche market at the minute, there must be growth in home working with larger, non NI companies. I work from home for a BIG player in the IT market whos UK office is actually in London. Most of their staff are all over the country and several people on my team are in mainland Europe.