A recent Make UK report has put the scale of the sector into perspective. Family-owned companies account for 65% of UK manufacturing businesses, contribute an estimated £94 billion to the economy and support around one million jobs The figures arrive alongside a debate about energy costs, taxation, skills and succession. Yet the same research also points to manufacturers investing in people, digital capability and operational resilience.
For Dean, that determination is familiar “Family businesses tend to be very close to what is happening on the factory floor and equally close to their customers,” he said. “You hear about an issue quickly, you understand what it means and you can make a decision. That agility has real value in manufacturing, particularly when customers need an engineering problem solved quickly.”
Banelec has spent more than three decades building its business around that approach. The company designs and manufactures electrical control systems, integrates automation and provides engineering maintenance and crane repair services to manufacturers across a wide range of industries Its work can range from a complete automated production cell to upgrading an existing control system or getting an important piece of machinery operating effectively again.
Operations Director Jennie Banner believes family ownership encourages a different perspective on those relationships.
“We want customers to come back to us year after year, so every project matters,” she said. “Our name is attached to the work and there is a real sense of personal responsibility that comes with that. “It also means we can be flexible. Manufacturing rarely runs exactly to a script. Priorities change, production demands move and engineering teams sometimes need an answer quickly. Being able to respond is one of the strengths of a business like ours.”
The Make UK research found that 63% of manufacturers are planning moderate to significant investment in training, illustrating the appetite within the sector to develop the skills required for its future. That long-term outlook resonates at Banelec.
Automation and modern electrical control systems are becoming increasingly important as manufacturers seek greater productivity, consistency and visibility across their operations. For family businesses supplying that technology, investment in skills and engineering knowledge becomes part of maintaining capability for the next generation of industry.
“Manufacturing technology keeps moving and we have to move with it,” Dean added. “Customers are looking at automation, controls, robotics and ways of making their existing equipment work harder. Our role is to understand what they are trying to achieve and find the engineering solution that makes sense for their operation. “That is where experience counts. You build knowledge over many years and pass it through the business.”
Jennie sees the same principle extending to Banelec’s own future.
“A family business naturally makes you think about what you are building for the years ahead,” she said. “You invest in people, relationships and reputation because those things have lasting value. There is a lot of pride attached to creating a business that people want to work for and customers want to work with.”
The scale identified by Make UK shows why family manufacturers will have an important role in Britain’s industrial ambitions. Thousands of these businesses hold specialist engineering knowledge, employ skilled people in their communities and maintain relationships throughout domestic supply chains. Their ability to respond quickly also gives them an important role as manufacturers adapt production, introduce automation and pursue new markets.
For Banelec, the case for British family manufacturing can be found every day in factories and engineering businesses around the country.
“British manufacturing has an enormous amount of skill and ingenuity within it,” Dean concluded. “Family businesses are a big part of that story. “We are used to adapting. We are used to solving problems. We make decisions with customers, employees and the future of the business in mind. Those qualities have served British manufacturing well for generations, and they will continue to do so.”