Manufacturing plays a very important role in the economy of the North East, and this industry is closely tied to this part of the country, particularly construction, ship-building and railways. There is a total of 4,700 manufacturing businesses located in the North East, making up 15.5% of this area’s total output.
We have put together a brief history of the manufacturing industry in the North-East region of the country so you can find out how it has evolved into the busy and relevant centre it is today.
Mesolithic or Middle Age period (9000-5,500 BC)
This is among the earliest periods in history that manufacturing took place in the North East. People created primitive tools made from stone and flint to hunt for animals, and axes to chop down trees as well as create shelter.
Neolithic or New Stone Age period (4000-2000 BC)
The creation of the Langdale axe, used for cutting wood in Cumbria, was a major development in this period of history.
Bronze Age (2500 to 800 BC)
The Bronze Age introduced the beginning of metal work, as bronze was the primary material used in this period. Other crafts were being produced in the Bronze Age as well, such as carpentry and pottery.
Iron Age (800 BC to 10 AD)
The Iron Age was also a period with lots of metal goods, including various tools, weapons and buckets.
Medieval or Middle Ages Period (1066-1540)
The Medieval Period involved the building stone churches along with production of raw materials for making manuscripts. Other goods like shoes and pottery were also made in great quantities.
The extraction of lead in the North East was also a major event, and it lead to things like windows and roofing.
Coal mining was also very prevalent in the middle ages, and it lead an increase in iron works. The North East was an excellent place for purchase several iron products, such as anchors, horse shoes and various tools.
Ship-building became extremely common in the early 1200s, as the North-East region of the country manufactured ships for the King’s fleet.
1700s to Present Day
A lot of manufacturing started taking place at the beginning of the 1700s in the North East. Much of this work came about as a direct result of the Industrial Revolution.
Demand for iron works lasted long after the Iron Age, in large part because people in the North East made iron for expanding railways. In the 1870s-steel started being produced for the common purpose of building up the railway.
In the 1930s, plastics started being manufactured in large quantities. Petrochemicals were in high demand starting in the 1960s.
Today there are 117,000 people involved in the manufacturing industry, totalling 9.8 percent of the North-East workforce. The North-East totals around £7.5 million as a direct result of engineering and advanced manufacturing.
The Cellular Solutions team works alongside other businesses in the North-East region and across the country. If you are interested in manufacturing software for your business, you should contact our team today.
