Casting off the oily rag image

By Mary Gahan BBC News Online business reporter

As part of a weekly series on women in business, BBC News Online talks to Julia Moore, head of one of the UK's engineering associations.

Julia Moore carries a big, bright blue, case into her office and plonks it down on the table.

She opens the lid to display an array of instruments and enthusiastically picks out a tool gauge and micrometer.

Every other industrial nation protects its manufacturing base

Julia Moore

Ms Moore is showing me one of more than 20 new tool kits designed to be taken into schools to inspire children to discover the excitement of engineering.

And she insists it is exciting.

"The perception is that engineering is still cloth caps, oily rags, swarf and metal bashing - it isn't like that," she says.

"What we have now got is hi-tech.

"When you look at the machinery in these companies it's incredible - firstly, what they've had to invest and, secondly, what these machines are capable of doing."

A thorn in the chancellor's side

Ms Moore has just become the first female director of the Gauge and Toolmakers' Association (GTMA) which represents 300 small and medium-sized companies.

She is passionate about engineering and she is on a mission to covert Britain's doubters.

Julia Moore: "We've got to remain enthusiastic"

The most significant of these, she thinks, is Chancellor Gordon Brown.

She cheerfully agrees that she would like to become a thorn in his side until he demonstrates support for UK manufacturing.

"Every other industrial nation protects its manufacturing base. Germany does, France does."

It would be easy, she says, for the chancellor to help by improving the tax relief granted on corporate investment.

"It would stimulate the machine tool industry and manufacturing.

"It's not giving away an enormous amount, but it's what it would do for an industry that's suffering.

"Support would help us to compete."

'Not whingers'

The increase in firms' national insurance payments will hit hard, she says.

And she points out that, at a time when businesses are seeing big hikes in insurance premiums, the Treasury is getting a windfall because it levies a 5% tax on those premiums.

We were the leading manufacturing country years ago so we have got the ability

Julia Moore

For anyone who doubts the importance of the toolmaking business, Ms Moore points out that before you can make anything you need a tool with which to make it.

She does not like the portrayal of manufacturing as a whingeing, and shrinking, sector.

"We have got to remain enthusiastic - and we are enthusiastic.

"The UK is great on innovation and how it produces its innovation skills."

Ms Moore says the media, the City and, above all, the Treasury, need to be encouraged to support manufacturing.

"If we can do that I am sure things will start to change."

Exciting choice

The pilot scheme to take the metrology tool kits into schools is part of a plan to help change the image of engineering and manufacturing in the eyes of young people.

Engineering has become more hi-tech

The exercise is aimed at 11 to 14 year olds to help them understand how they can make practical use of maths - and how important decimal points can be.

"People have always said these things to their children - 'If you don't get your GCSEs you will have to go into engineering'.

"Well I'm sorry, you won't get anywhere in engineering without GCSEs," she says.

Ms Moore points out that in an age when so many children are fascinated by and excited about computers, modern engineering would seem to be an obvious choice.

"If boys and girls saw what was going on in engineering or manufacturing they would be excited by it."

An extra step

She says manufacturing has shown it can embrace change by the move from old-fashioned engineering to a hi-tech business.

Ms Moore is worried that the UK will fall behind

She thinks her own appointment, in a male-dominated business, reflects the changing face of the industry.

Her aim, above all, is to get the rest of the country to realise that manufacturing is not in terminal decline.

"We were the leading manufacturing country years ago so we have got the ability."

What has happened is the rest have caught up.

"Now we need to take that extra step."