A&M EDM is one of the companies that has already benefitted from MGP support

Small to medium-size manufacturers across England have been given a £6.5 million funding boost to help them recover from the COVID-19 impact and address key barriers to growth.

The Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP — www.manufacturinggrowthprogramme.co.uk), which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and delivered by Oxford Innovation Services, has been extended until December 2022 and will give a further 2,800 companies access to industry experts and grants to tackle immediate business issues and support improvement plans.

This additional backing will safeguard or create 3,500 new jobs and takes the total package of support the initiative is able to deliver to £18.3 million across 17 regions, with businesses in Sheffield able to apply for the first time.

Firms are given access to a dedicated local Manufacturing Growth manager, who will use GROWTHmapper - an in-depth business diagnostic tool - to develop an individual action plan and support business projects, ranging from environmental improvements, leadership and management and marketing to people and skills, quality and supply chain development.

Martin Coats, MGP managing director, said: “All the media attention is on the headline manufacturers and how they are coping in the wake of COVID-19 — it is our job to look at how the smaller manufacturers supporting these big businesses are performing and what we can do to help them.”

“Our track record in delivering on-the-ground expert support was pivotal in securing an additional £6.5 million of funding that is ring-fenced for SME manufacturers to overcome barriers to growth and return to doing what they do best — making things.”

He continued: “Helping manufacturers is not easy and you need a tailored approach, delivered by experts who know what it is like working in industry. The Local Enterprise Partnerships, their local Growth Hubs and the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government have seen first-hand the value we add to firms in their respective areas and this has resulted in a further commitment to support us for another two and a half years.”

The MGP is the only dedicated business support programme for SME manufacturers in England, supporting more than 3,000 companies since its launch in October 2016.

It has assisted firms from more than 15 different manufacturing sectors to increase productivity and competitiveness and this has added tens of millions of pounds to the English economy and created in excess of 4,100 jobs, safeguarding thousands more in the process.

A recent survey delivered by MGP, in partnership with the South West Manufacturing Advisory Service, revealed an urgent need for greater and faster financial support from the Government as they confront plummeting sales, production volumes and the prospect of job cuts amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Coats continued: “It is no great surprise to see that every indicator for confidence among firms appears to have worsened over the last six months. That said, it is heartening to see that some companies are adapting to the situation by diversifying their processes and product ranges in all manner of innovative ways.”

“While the number of projects we have supported has been maintained since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, demand has shifted from the larger SMEs towards micro-businesses.

“This has also led to a change in the type of assistance. There is more demand for shorter-term marketing and product development projects and less for productivity and capacity building projects.

“As the economy recovers, it will be important to shift this pattern back, ensuring that support reaches larger SME manufacturers as well and delivers projects that rebuild capacity. MGP is more important than ever in achieving this.”

Huddersfield-based Visual Systems Healthcare, a specialist in custom-designed visual communication solutions for the NHS and private hospitals across the country, engaged with the MGP to support production of a new solution.

Managing director Chris Hunter said: “Working with MGP has proven invaluable to the resilience and sustainability of our manufacturing operation, especially during these challenging times.

“Without this assistance, we would have been unable to fulfil the urgent time driven orders received from the Nightingale hospitals during April. My advice is simply to reach out and talk to the team at MGP, the difference they make is massive.”

Going forward, the MGP will be working closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to support the recovery of English manufacturers.