West Midlands firms get Japan production disruption help

The emergency funding will be available to companies who can demonstrate they have been affected by events in the Far East and will give them up to seven-days of specialist support in financial management, re-negotiating finance terms and help in minimising the possible impact of delays in supply by identifying immediate cash savings. Firms - involved in both component supply and sourcing products from Japan - are being urged to ring the dedicated hotline number 0845 245 0845 They will be immediately dealt with by a MAS-WM Specialist Adviser, who will identify the issues they are facing and, where appropriate, bring in an industry-leading expert to deliver one-on-one assistance. "We have developed this support package having spoken in great lengths with the supply chain about what is needed. This immediate assistance will hopefully help firms negate the potential issues that may arise from temporary shutdowns," explained Rachel Eade, MAS-WM auto project manager (pictured). She continued: "One of the biggest problems is that a lot of companies have invested in new staff, more material stocks and even additional machines to cope with major volume increases across the globe. "If they're not supplying, they're not getting paid and this could create short-term issues that, with the right level of specialist assistance, can be overcome." The support package will involve up to 7-days of support from a MAS-WM adviser, a sourcing expert or a finance specialist. Following the immediate assistance, there could be further opportunities for business improvement activities to help with efficiency gains, reducing waste and inventory management.