Mars Chocolate UK, based in Slough, will take a starring role in the Make it in Great Britain exhibition at London’s Science Museum, which was opened by Business Secretary Vince Cable and Business Minister Mark Prisk this week. The exhibition runs until 9 September and will demonstrate the very best of British manufacturing.
Mars beat competition from hundreds of UK companies to a place at the exhibition, which aims to dispel the myth that Britain ‘doesn’t make anything anymore’ and educate visitors about the value of manufacturing to the UK economy.
The exhibition is the culmination of the Make it in Great Britain campaign; an initiative launched by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills last year which aims to challenge outdated opinions of the UK manufacturing industry, worth approximately £137bn to the UK economy each year and employing 2.5 million people.
Mars’ Slough headquarters employs 1,000 people, with over 400 based in the factory. The Mars bar has been manufactured there since it was created in 1932 and today over 2.5million Mars bars are made each day, using the latest in manufacturing technology.
Geoff Bryant, research and development director at Mars Chocolate UK, said: “We’re extremely proud of our British heritage, 80 years of manufacturing from our Slough site, and position at the forefront of manufacturing. We hope that visitors will come down to this free exhibition and be inspired by the exciting and varied career opportunities available in British manufacturing. It’s a real honour to showcase our expertise within such impressive company, and reach a wide audience through this highly interactive exhibition.”
