James Mills is a web developer in the North East of England and founder of Refresh Teesside »
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Karen McLauchlan is the Evening Gazette's deputy business and features editor - with special interest in all things industry, property and arts related » 
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Deloitte, which has 23 offices across the UK including Newcastle, is among the country's leading professional services firms » 
ClimateNE & Climate Change Schools Project support the move to a low-carbon, resilient economy and help businesses avoid risk and realise commercial opportunities. Posts by Jen Atkinson, Krista McKinzey and Harriet Thew » October has been a terrible month for the region's manufacturing industry.
First off there was the colossal blow of the Atmel closure with 600 jobs set to be axed in the new year.
Next up was the announcement that bosses at the Electrolux factory in Spennymoor have just two months to save its future and the future of its 500-strong workforce.
The Swedish firm will compare operation costs at the cooker factory to those in Poland.
And then there was the news that Stadium Plastics, which employs 360 people in Hartlepool, had gone into receivership.
The plant will remain operational for now but for how long, who knows.
All in all there's been very little good news on the manufacturing front for the region this month.
And, as countries in the Far East and eastern Europe continue to be cheaper places to do business, I fear we could see more similar bad news in the future unless we continue to attract global manufacturers into the region with our skilled workforce, excellent infrastructure and the superb support of bodies such as NEPIC and One NorthEast.
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