Pictured above:  Simon Griffiths (Chief Executive of MAS-WM)

Manufacturers in the West Midlands are being urged to start the year by having their say on the future of industry support. 

The Manufacturing Advisory Service - West Midlands (MAS-WM), which helped more than 1800 companies in 2010, is asking firms to respond to the Government's Advanced Manufacturing Growth Review before the deadline closes on February 11th.

This publication outlines the ambitions for manufacturing, developed with industry in recent months, sets out the key competitive strengths on which the UK can build and examines the major long-term growth opportunities.

Simon Griffiths, Chief Executive of MAS-WM, explained:

"This document sets out the action the Government is taking to provide the right business environment, the key competitive strengths on which we can build, and examines the long-term growth opportunities and challenges."

He continued: "What we want to do as an organisation is to make sure that manufacturers in our region know about this framework and are given every opportunity to comment on the plans.

"There will never be a better opportunity for firms, working at the coalface, to have their views fed into the decision making process so they actually influence policy that will evolve over the next decade."

The Advanced Manufacturing Growth Review will reflect the capabilities of UK manufacturing, the strengths of the economy and the opportunities for broad-based growth from globalisation, technological development and the move to a low carbon economy.

It will aim to tackle barriers, such as skills, rising energy costs, security of supply, export and regulatory issues, not to mention asking what support manufacturers want to overcome all of these challenges.

"Manufacturers need to read the document and ask themselves 'are these ambitions the right ones?', 'are there more pressing issues?', 'what Government action would you like to see?" continued Simon.

"We have already had a £50m commitment to enhance the Manufacturing Advisory Service and a further £600,000 is being invested in a two year automation and robotics programme that will deliver greater productivity and increase precision performance.

"It it pleasing to see that advanced manufacturing is so high on the list of priorities and companies need to do their bit to ensure their voice is well and truly heard."

Firms can download the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Review by visiting http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-sectors/docs/g/10-1297-growth-review-framework-for-advanced-manufacturing. 

All comments should be sent to amgr@bis.gsi.gov.uk by February 11th and will be considered by the dedicated review team in preparation for the first report in time for Budget 2011.

The Manufacturing Advisory Service - West Midlands, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), also has a special focus on advanced manufacturing and low carbon as it aims to provide the region's manufacturing base with the expertise to compete in the global marketplace.