The Made Smarter North West pilot is to be extended to help small and medium manufacturers in three more regions adopt digital technology.
Rebranded the Made Smarter Adoption programme, it will expand into the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the West Midlands regions, backed by £8m of government funds. It will now be able to help hundreds more manufacturers learn how digital transformation and Industry 4.0 technology can help them recover, grow, and become more resilient, the organisation says.
Since its launch two years ago, the North West programme has engaged with 1,165 businesses in the region. 568 have received intensive support including expert, impartial technology advice, digital transformation workshops to help take their first steps to transform their business, a leadership programme, and funded digital technology internships.
145 businesses have secured £3.5m matched funding for 180 projects, bringing in £10m of private sector investment. These projects are forecast to deliver an additional £138m in gross value added for the North West economy over the next three years, creating over 800 new jobs, and upskilling 1,700 existing roles.
Made Smarter North West Adoption director Donna Edwards said: “I am delighted that the Government has continued to support the North West Adoption programme. Over the last two years we have worked tirelessly to drive digital technology use among SME makers across the North West with significant success. The programme has proved the value technology can bring to the manufacturing sector.”
The additional funding would allow the organisation to continue to connect the region’s small and medium manufacturers to the tools that would make an everyday difference to their businesses, she added.