First, a business support collective was launched in the beginning of May. The Manufacturing Hub – comprising Alison Phillips, Rachel Eade MBE, PP Business Improvement, Cucumber PR and Start 2 Finish Marketing – is looking to replace the void left by the sudden termination of the Manufacturing Advisory Service contract. All firms have extensive experience of working with UK industry and can offer access to specialised assistance in lean manufacturing, strategy, continuous improvement, sales and marketing and communications. They also have contacts and extensive knowledge of the maze of funding opportunities available to companies in the UK.
Rachel Eade says: “When the Government decided to end MAS unexpectedly it left a massive gap for business support that understood what manufacturers needed and how it should be delivered. A lot of the firms I was talking to were worried that the general offer wouldn’t do anything for them so I decided to speak to a few colleagues to look at a way of creating a collective of experts that could fill the gap.”
David Fox, Director PP Business Improvement, adds: “External support is crucial to the development of the UK manufacturing base and can often unpick a long-term issue or open up new opportunities. The Government subsidies may have stopped, but that doesn’t mean industry shouldn’t have access to expertise that is geared to their sector.”
Second, also in May, government science and technology promotion and support agency Innovate UK has appointed a team of ‘interim regional managers’ nationwide based around the network of local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) to “strengthen its presence and impact at regional and local level and to develop effective relationships with LEPs, growth hubs and with other key local partners”.
Although it would seem that these managers would not engage with local business, their aim would be to work in the background to improve access to Innovate UK programmes.
Says Innovate UK : “The regional mangers will act as Innovate UK’s local representative in the area, working to further develop and extend its relationships with LEPs and other key local partners; to raise awareness and understanding of Innovate UK, and to provide a direct channel of communication with each region. They will also undertake a review and consult with LEPs and others as to how Innovate UK should work with and be represented in each region in the longer term.”
