THE latest report from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) reinforces the doom and gloom scenario talked about for the West Midlands' manufacturing industry.
Commenting on the Quarterly Industrial Trends Survey, the CBI's regional director for the West Midlands, Carolyn Hannah, said it made "gloomy reading".
"But it will come as no surprise to manufacturers in the West Midlands who have been feeding in similar anecdotal evidence to us over the last few weeks," said Ms Hannah.
"We have seen a wave of Midlands- based job losses announced in the manufacturing sector recently and this is the clearest indication that companies are under great pressure," she continued.
"Although this downturn is widely spread throughout the UK, as a manufacturing heartland we were always going to feel the effects more strongly than other regions."
She said manufacturers in the West Midlands would welcome a further cut in interest rates.
"But we also need to be realistic about the fact that a cut alone is not the end of the story," she said.
"There is room for Government action to lift some of the other burdens on manufacturers and certainly to avoid the temptation at the next budget of increasing taxation on this hard-pressed sector."
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