Door Industry Journal - Summer 2021

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk THE door industry journal summer 2021 Industry News 10 Fuelling Economic Recovery for the Manufacturing Industry As the UK rapidly begins its journey along the roadmap into the new normal, and the return of indoor bars and restaurants and opening of the retail sector already well underway, we must take a step back and reflect on the impact that the pandemic has had on the British economy. With fuel usage being the moving force of the economy, how much it is consumed - and by which industry - are good indicators of the general health of the UK’s business environment. Fuel consumption declined dramatically over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, with recent d ata 1 from Allstar Business Solutions showing that miles travelled halved in April 2020. Like other industries that are only now seeing stabilisation in terms of vehicle usage, the manufacturing industry, including many door suppliers, experienced their worst hit at the start of the pandemic. Only recently are they starting to improve to pre-pandemic rates, however, these rates are still not yet comparable. So, what can we learn about the British economy and manufacturing activity from the fuel data that the pandemic has produced? Fluctuating usage of fuel types Petrol usage dropped by two thirds from 140 million miles in March 2020, to just 47 million in April 2020. Meanwhile, those using diesel-powered vehicles travelled less than half of the usual monthly rates in the same time frame. There’s a simple explanation for the discrepancy; petrol is typically used in smaller vehicles such as cars, while diesel is used in larger vehicles such as vans, HGVs and construction vehicles. Because much manufacturing and construction work is deemed essential, these vehicles, although reduced in scale, remained on our roads throughout the course of the pandemic. Diesel-powered vehicles dominate the manufacturing industry, with d ata 1 revealing that during the pandemic, manufacturing fleets travelled 10 miles by diesel- fuelled vehicles to every one mile by petrol.