UK manufacturing- what happened ?

[ajmac]

My Dad ran his own foundry for 25 years before retiring last year. No one is interested in taking over as the margins are so small! However I work for a gas turbine company and we are having a great time over the last five years, record orders and service business from around the world....we have cut 1000 jobs in the last 10 years and increased profits as well as turnover and anual engine sales.
Remember that the UK is exporting more cars as of 2012 than it has ever done in it's history, another fact that isn't widely talked about.