A new look Manufacturing Advisory Service to focus on helping small and medium manufacturing businesses to grow was unveiled last month with a three-year budget of £57m.
The new service is now available to all manufacturing businesses across England. It will be delivered by the Manufacturing Advisory Consortium (MAC) and it is estimated that the new MAS will help to generate £1.5 billion in economic growth, 23,000 jobs and also safeguard 50,000 jobs.
Business Minister Mark Prisk said: “Manufacturing contributes half of Britain’s exports and has much higher productivity than the rest of the economy so it is essential to our plans for growth. That is why we are taking steps to ensure our industrial base is thriving as part of a strong and balanced UK economy.
“The new Manufacturing Advisory Service will play a key role, providing tailored advice to businesses helping them to grow and thrive, with a specific focus on helping SMEs improve competitiveness and unlock their growth potential.”
Karl Eddy, head of MAS, said: “As we drive this historically successful programme in to a new era we encourage leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs in manufacturing to contact MAS to find out how we can deliver real benefits for their business.”
