West Midlands Manufacturing Consortium (WMMC) and Winning Moves are to join forces, with the new organisation promising to help more than 1500 growing firms every year.
In a boost to manufacturers across England, the new not-for-profit body will be able to call upon more than 200 specialists, offering one-on-one support, accredited training programmes and access to a software portfolio featuring the Benchmark Index.
The merger will also provide the perfect platform to bid for new regional and national business support contracts and in leveraging funding opportunities from the ERDF and the Regional Growth Fund.
Lorraine Holmes, Chief Executive of WMMC, said she believed the merger can enhance the level of business support provided to SMEs and growing enterprises across a number of regions.
“We obviously have the proven track record in delivering dedicated manufacturing assistance, whereas Winning Moves has helped over 30,000 firms to start and grow since 1996.”
She added: “By joining forces, we can offer our clients the complete service rather than just completing part of the journey before passing them on to another organisation. Its business support simplification in the purest sense of the word.”
WMMC is responsible for delivering the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) across the West Midlands, the North West and the North East, working closely with a number of strategic partners.
These include the EEF and the Warwick Manufacturing Group, providing SMEs with support on strategy, lean manufacturing, new product creation and supply chain development.
Winning Moves, established in 1996, provides expert consultancy to start-ups, high growth business and firms looking for accredited leadership and management training.
Adrian Davies, chief executive officer of Winning Moves, said the body wants firms to turn to them when seeking assistance for overcoming challenges and exploring new markets.
“Together, we can support in excess of 1500 firms ever year and have a host of new contracts we can bid for. This could lead to the possibility of even more support for the region’s business community,” he said.
