Small manufacturers are actively considering shifting production from the Far East back to the UK, boosting employment prospects, according to a new study.

The IDC Manufacturing Insights study of more then 700 small and medium-sized manufacturers round the world found that many were looking at the move as a way of providing better service to customers, as well as cutting costs

Fraser Geekie, an in-source adviser from Oxford-based The Consultancy Company, said that he had eight companies in a variety of sectors who were considering repatriating production.

Geekie told the Daily Telegraph: “There are isolated examples of it happening but it’s not a decision to be taken lightly.