Just over 10 years after Made Here Now’s official launch on April 23 2015, the website will shut down on May 15 2025. What follows is more information about the background to this decision plus thanks to the people who have helped the project.
The initiative was established to highlight innovation and commercial verve in UK manufacturing. A specific aim was to encourage more young people into the industry. The venture has played a significant part in raising consciousness about the crucial role of manufacturing.
If we needed a reminder, one has burst upon us. President Trump’s announcements on tariffs on US goods imports in recent weeks have struck many as bizarre and ill judged. But they have focused minds on the characteristics of manufactured products, how and where they are made, and how much they cost. The realisation has hit more people that without manufactured goods the world would grind to a halt.
While it is hard to downgrade the importance of manufacturing, now seems an appropriate time for Made Here Now to close. The work of keeping the site going with new content (along with raising the money to run it) has started to outweigh the benefits of keeping the venture alive.
Steve Adams of Pepperneck (the main partner in the project since late 2015) and I have examined ways to continue the initiative, possibly involving new people or methods of organisation.
Having exhausted any possible options, we have chosen to switch off Made Here Now on an agreed date, avoiding the possibility of having the site remaining a while longer but in what would almost certainly have been an increasingly enfeebled state.
At the launch event on April 23 2015: left to right, James Woudhuysen, Peter Marsh, Arabella Itani, Raj Roy, Mike Barton (photo: Jerry Mason)
I want to thank the key people who have played a vital part in setting up and running Made Here Now. Steve and his colleagues at his company, Pepperneck, have been vital to its success. Without their technical skills and wholehearted support the initiative would not have been possible. .
At the start of the project, Inventid, a design and website development business in Manchester, run by Henry James and Bryn Morgan, were invaluable in getting the venture up and running. They provided enthusiasm and vision. And – crucially – Henry came up with the name for the website.
Pictured at the 2015 launch at London’s Building Centre, from top, Will Hutton, Peter Murray, Peter Marsh, Terry Scuoler (photos: Jerry Mason)
From the start Andy Davis has been the main editor. Andy has been the main person to thank for keeping the stories condensed and meaningful. Nick Willett – of Think Allowed, an innovative film maker in Nottingham – created the excellent video that is on the title page of the website and which people continue to comment on favourably. (To see this go to and then touch on “watch video”.)
Arabella Itani is a young film maker who produced a fine video of what modern manufacturing adds up to. Her work was a highlight of early iterations of Made Here Now. It can still be seen by scrolling to the bottom of this page .
Philip Greenish, former chief executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering, was an early influential supporter. Peter Murray of New London Architecture, and an esteemed former colleague, kindly lined up his organisation’s London HQ as the place for our 2015 launch.
In the past two years I’ve discussed with Will Stirling of Stirling Media possible ways to keep Made Here Now active. Will has put in immense effort to try to find a way forward. While nothing viable has emerged, some Made Here Now concepts will remain evident in a new manufacturing/ educational initiative Will is promoting. The former business secretary Sir Vince Cable has been a strong backer
Along the way sponsors have been indispensable. A total of 77 organisations have provided slightly more than £240,000 to finance the venture. The support has come from a diverse group including manufacturers, banks and other financial businesses, universities, consultancies, trade bodies and think tanks. The biggest total donation over the years from a single entity ran to £20,000, the smallest £500.
The donors received few tangible returns, other than a modicum of publicity and the feeling they were helping something worthwhile.
Singling out the people behind these organisations, Rachel Garrett of CMG Technologies was a key person early on, organising further connections. Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya – the founder and former director of Warwick Manufacturing Group, and who died in 2019 – was an authoritative supporter, as has been Lord Anthony Bamford of JCB.
Will Butler-Adams of Brompton Bicycle, AESSEAL’s Chris Rea, Charlie Macquaker of the Walter Scott investment group, Chris Pockett of Renishaw and Comino Foundation’s David Perry all showed special confidence in Made Here Now’s ideas. Andrew Churchill of JJ Churchill, Filtermist’s Lydia Barber, Andrew Everett of ERA foundation, Greg McDonald of Goodfish and Rui Tenreiro of Kaizen Institute have provided guidance and contacts, as well as financial support.
Looking ahead several other ventures are using ideas similar to those of Made Here Now to encourage more people to think about manufacturing and engineering positively. So many of the concepts behind the project will live on.
Many of the articles now available on Made Here Now will continue to be accessible on my own personal website www.petermarsh.org.uk. Feel free to look through Made Here Now before it disappears and use for your own purposes any content you particularly like. (Please acknowledge the site for anything you republish. )
Glancing back, Made Here Now stories that seem to me to have particular value include:
- a) The series examining the impact of Brexit on UK manufacturing , which the articles indicated has been mainly (though not completely) negative
- b) How inspirational teachersplay a part shaping career choices
- c) New thoughts from Labour on industrial strategy
- d) A look at an innovative company in the clothing industry using novel software to deliver environmental benefits
- e) Flexible production in the furniture business
- f) Nurturing the industrial skills of the future
Worth a special mention is the interactive graphic telling the stories of 100 young people who explain how they have forged a career in manufacturing –https://www.madeherenow.com/careers/young-manufacturers/
I hope to continue monitoring and writing about manufacturing innovation on an occasional basis. Made Here Now may be about to close but the effort to explain what is happening in this sector will go on.
