Extracts from a Speech by the President of the Institution of Production Engineers, Sir Sidney Bacon, CB

Abstract

Over the years our annual dinner has provided a convenient meeting place for distinguished men and women of affairs, in government, the public service, education and industry, who are concerned with, and often responsible for, the health of our manufacturing industry. It seems to me that we could scarcely have met at a more significant time, this year. The critical state of the world economy, the developing energy situation, the emergence of new national policies, and the ever increasing strength of international competition could all have a profound influence on the operations of the engineering organisations which form the main base for industry. Indeed some of the effects of these changes have already been reflected in recent gloomy forecasts on future prospects. These major changes will coincide with the climax to a decade of unprecedented technological advances, whose impact on every branch of engineering—and particularly electronics and production—has yet to be fully realised. They also come at a time of ever growing importance in industrial and social relationships and the role and position of the engineer in society. At a time when the rate at which changes may occur could further accelerate, the foreseeable consequences in terms of economic viability, employment and training, and social improvement and depredations, call for the most efficient organisation and management of our wealth creating resources. That is, if we are to survive and prosper again in our traditional role as a manufacturing nation.

Citation

(1980), "Extracts from a Speech by the President of the Institution of Production Engineers, Sir Sidney Bacon, CB", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 52 No. 1, pp. 16-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb035591