Seven years ago Motorola announced the closure of its mobile phone plant at Easter Inch in Scotland, with 3,000 job losses.
Some people believe that along with the high volume mobile phone and TV factories lost to China in the five years after 2000, the UK manufacturing sector lost the will and the ability to survive.
The reality is that in 2008 the sector has changed but is very far from being in a moribund state.
One of the largest UK-owned manufacturing services companies TT electronics is feeling confident enough about the situation to predict a healthy future for manufacturing in the UK.
"There is and will continue to be a very healthy business in the UK particularly in sectors such as defence, aerospace and medical," says Stewart Taylor, business development director at TTims.
The economics haven’t changed so what is different?
Steve Wilks, commercial director at Axiom Manufacturing Services says there are now arguments which challenge the common assumption that outsourcing usually means off-shoring.
"Unit production cost is no longer the only consideration for those seeking a manufacturing partner. Those considering such a move are now thinking more about the ‘total cost of ownership’. It is arguable that, the more sophisticated the product, the greater the case for keeping production in the UK," says Wilks.
TTims has two manufacturing plants in the UK. It also operates plants in the US, China and Malaysia.
Taylor says that UK customers have to the option to get product manufactured offshore and some do, but the market is getting more sophisticated in the way it considers the pros and cons of getting product manufactured in Asia.
"There is no simple answer and customers are becoming more knowledgeable about their choice of location," says Taylor.
"Other factors such as stability of the programme, flexibility, size of the product and communications are important. There is more due diligence these days," says Taylor.
It is not just the customers who are more sophisticated. The manufacturers, those that are still around, operate different businesses.
"We offer both local and global manufacturing but we are a UK-owned company which remains committed to the UK," says Taylor.