Small to medium-size manufacturers in the East Midlands have created 267 jobs in the last 18 months after tapping into a dedicated business support initiative.
The Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP) — funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and delivered by Economic Growth Solutions (EGS) — has helped companies across the region to grow, develop new products and improve their processes and quality.
This has resulted in 267 new jobs, with an additional 155 positions expected to be created once on-going projects are completed. By the end of January, grants worth £670,000 had been made, with money in place to support many more grants between now and March 2019.
Martin Coats, managing director of EGS (
www.economicgrowthsolutions.co.uk), said: “UK manufacturing has just posted its ninth consecutive month of growth, and East Midlands SMEs are at the forefront of this expansion.
"It is great to see that we are playing our role, with our manufacturing experts able to determine what support firms need to grow.
"We understand the language managing directors are talking and can guide them on making the right decisions, before bringing in specialists on specific issues they are facing or opportunities they’re looking to explore.
“Around the UK, more than 2,000 companies have now been assisted, and we’ve created more than 1,000 new jobs — those are apprentices, operatives, experienced engineers and R&D specialists.
“We still have £2.5 million of grants to deliver, and we want manufacturers to come forward and see how they can take advantage of the assistance on offer. It’s never been easier, as the process is quick and the scope of support can be tailored to the exact needs of the business.”
Nick Oakland, managing director of Leicester-based JC Metalworks, has tapped into support from MGP to secure a £1 million increase in business.
“It was really easy to access and has introduced us to some very good people.
“It has also opened our eyes to the other support that is out there, and we are already embarking on some additional initiatives to support the development of our Web site and branding.”