Dundee City is Scotland’s fourth-largest city, located on its east coast. The city has gone through several phases of evolution throughout its history, facing some real economic turbulence. In the 19th century, Dundee was known as “jutepolis” as the Dundee Mills were central to the global manufacturing and distribution of jute fibres, used for making ropes, sacks, and other textiles.
V&A museum Dundee photo credit: Steve Gilruth
Engineering economy in Belfast
Employment
Businesses
GVA per engineer
Engineering focus in Dundee
- Digital and tech companies including: National Cash Register (NCR) Timex, Sun Microsystems Teradata (formerly NCR) Rockstar North, 4J Studios and Outplay Entertainment
- Life sciences companies: Tayview Medical, Axis-Shield and XenoGesis
Economic History
By the 20th century, the jute industry which employed tens of thousands of jobs and was a major driver of the economy had moved to India and many factories were forced to close. This caused a period of severe economic downturn for the city, leading to high unemployment and poverty.
It wasn’t until the 1970s that Dundee began to bounce back, through a new electronics industry. This began with the National Cash Register (NCR) establishing a manufacturing plant to produce mechanical cash registers and other electronic products. This led to companies like Timex (digital watches and consumer electronics) and Sun Microsystems (computers and components) locating to Dundee and a new industry beginning to prosper.
This laid the foundation for the Dundee of today, transforming its traditional industries into a growing software, electronics and digital media industry. NCR, now known as Teradata, continues to operate, while new businesses are spinning out from the city’s universities and businesses.
Economic development
Despite significant progress and growth, there are still longstanding economic challenges around poverty, inequality and high unemployment. However, Dundee’s economic diversification, blending traditional industry with modern, continues to transform the city into a vibrant and creative economy with great potential.
Links with research centres
Through the University of Dundee specialisms in medicine, science, and engineering, alongside the Medical Research Council, the city has diversified further by growing its life sciences sector. Companies like Tayview Medical, Axis-Shield and XenoGesis have established operations, leveraging academic expertise to drive innovation and growth.
