A newly amalgamated national Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) has been established combining a number of the separately administered, disparate regional bodies into a single consortium.
The Manufacturing Advisory Consortium (MAC), which is made up of business consultancies Grant Thornton, Pera, the West Midlands Manufacturing Consortium and MAS South West, will be tasked with driving business growth by supporting SMEs that are developing advanced manufacturing capabilities.
According to the Government, the new service, previously delivered through the Regional Development Agencies, will deliver four times the current return on investment.
Business Minister Mark Prisk announced today that the new nationally operated service will be delivered by the Manufacturing Advisory Consortium and will help create £1.5bn in economic growth and 23,000 jobs.
Mark Prisk commented: “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 Manufacturing Advisory Service will continue to deliver a national service to all manufacturing businesses in England but will now also focus on other specific areas.
The Consortium hopes to enable business improvement with manufacturers operating in global supply chains and link SMEs with the Apprenticeship programme delivering a minimum of 1,250 engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships per year.
Karl Eddy, partner at Grant Thornton, added: “At MAS’s core is a passion and drive to help dynamic, innovative businesses to grow – even in a challenging economic environment. These principles are very much at the heart of the MAC consortium’s own business strategy and values.”
