Manufacturing is a key sector in Carlisle, with a higher level of employment in this sector compared to benchmark cities. 5604 (10.3%) of Carlisle’s working age population are employed in this sector. This reflects Carlisle’s manufacturing heritage, with skilled trades and process workers representing a higher proportion of the workforce than England & Wales and other comparator areas. Plant, process and machinery occupations represent 11.8% compared to 7.2% for the UK, while 13.7% of residents are employed in skilled trades compared to 11.5% in England & Wales. There are around 240 manufacturing businesses registered in Carlisle.
Manufacturing expertise & world-leading companies are located in Carlisle District, including Pirelli Tyres, Nestle and United Biscuits and Northern Foods.
Food & drink manufacturing has grown out of Carlisle's strong agricultural background with a key employers such as McVities, 2 Sisters and Nestle dominating employment.
Rubber and Plastics manufacturing is also dominated by a small number of companies with Pirelli as the main employer. The key employers in metal manufacturing are Crown Packaging who produce metal packaging for a range of industries including food and drink and Bendall's Engineering, a division of Carr's Group who specialise in steel fabrication for the energy industry.