The flat white hope for construction

June’s EU referendum probably matters “less than people think”. At least that’s what economist Douglas McWilliams told around 30 guests at a breakfast meeting today.

Don’t base your decision on macroeconomics, said the president of the Centre for Economics and Business Research, who implored people to ignore the Treasury’s forecasts in particular.

Describing himself as neither in favour or against leaving the EU, Mr McWilliams said that the decision to leave would have a short to medium-term impact of delays and concerns, but that over the longer term these would likely smooth themselves out.

Watch out for a possible collapse of the City of London, regardless of the vote, he added, pointing to the tens of thousands of jobs that were lost last year and plummeting bonuses.

A continuation of this trend would leave a surplus of central London buildings, he warned, with the capital’s rising property prices and its lack of suitable transport infrastructure only exacerbating the situation.

Then there’s the insurgent threat of the ‘flat white economy‘, an expression coined by Mr McWilliams for digital enterprises, which he says will eventually overtake construction in their contribution to GDP.

He pointed to the growth of these economies in cities like Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Edinburgh, adding that construction and the flat white economy will drive the UK’s growth.

Brexit would, he said, lead to a minimum of two years of dithering. In the immediate aftermath, people will talk about the UK being cut off from the rest of the world, but life would eventually return to normal.

More startling perhaps was his ‘outside bet’ that Newcastle would become the ‘financial capital of Scotland’, as lenders moved south if another referendum on independence leads to Scotland’s breakaway.

But looking 10 years ahead, assuming the UK stays in the single market, it would have to accept EU rules and so not a huge amount would change.

Negotiating a deal with the EU would be fraught initially. EU leaders would be unhappy, the deal would be complicated, but once agreement was reached, investors concerns would likely dissipate.

Other attendees, who, unlike Mr McWilliams, declined to waive the Chatham House rule, cited the importance of immigration to the creativity and diversity of the industry.

One said his company’s future recruitment of graduates from outside the UK would be immediately put in doubt should Britain vote to leave the EU. Others wondered what the impact of a Brexit would be on engineering standards or our relationship with world political leaders.

For the most part, people were unsure of the impact either way. Just like the rest of us, really.

This blog was first published by Tom Fitzpatrick, Deputy Editor of Construction News, on Thursday May 5th – see here. Constructing Excellence hosted the breakfast under the Chatham House rule, with thanks to our sponsors and supporters Lagan Construction, Advance, and Aggregate Industries.

891 thoughts on “The flat white hope for construction”

  1. Monitoreo de condicion
    Dispositivos de equilibrado: esencial para el operación estable y efectivo de las maquinarias.

    En el entorno de la avances moderna, donde la productividad y la confiabilidad del dispositivo son de gran importancia, los equipos de equilibrado juegan un tarea fundamental. Estos dispositivos específicos están diseñados para calibrar y regular piezas móviles, ya sea en equipamiento de fábrica, automóviles de transporte o incluso en aparatos hogareños.

    Para los técnicos en reparación de aparatos y los especialistas, trabajar con dispositivos de equilibrado es fundamental para asegurar el rendimiento uniforme y confiable de cualquier sistema giratorio. Gracias a estas herramientas tecnológicas sofisticadas, es posible limitar sustancialmente las vibraciones, el ruido y la presión sobre los sujeciones, extendiendo la vida útil de partes caros.

    De igual manera significativo es el rol que tienen los sistemas de balanceo en la asistencia al consumidor. El asistencia profesional y el conservación continuo usando estos aparatos facilitan brindar servicios de óptima excelencia, elevando la agrado de los clientes.

    Para los responsables de empresas, la contribución en sistemas de ajuste y detectores puede ser clave para mejorar la efectividad y productividad de sus dispositivos. Esto es principalmente trascendental para los dueños de negocios que dirigen reducidas y modestas empresas, donde cada aspecto cuenta.

    Asimismo, los aparatos de equilibrado tienen una gran aplicación en el ámbito de la fiabilidad y el monitoreo de nivel. Permiten localizar probables fallos, reduciendo intervenciones elevadas y perjuicios a los dispositivos. También, los indicadores extraídos de estos sistemas pueden emplearse para optimizar métodos y incrementar la exposición en buscadores de consulta.

    Las zonas de aplicación de los dispositivos de balanceo comprenden diversas industrias, desde la manufactura de bicicletas hasta el seguimiento ecológico. No afecta si se refiere de extensas elaboraciones manufactureras o limitados locales hogareños, los sistemas de balanceo son necesarios para asegurar un operación efectivo y sin riesgo de interrupciones.

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