Business Support
Manufacturing covers the full range of business activity from
initial concept, to research and development, product design,
production, marketing and product support. The BMF works with
a range of organisations to encourage suitable provision of
business and technical support services for the benefit of members
that manufacture. The support available for manufacturing
businesses covers a wide and constantly changing range of services
from Government, Regional Development Agencies, academic
institutions and specialist providers such as the Manufacturing
Advisory Service.
In many cases the business support services are free or
subsidised and include guidance, advice and hands-on help to
promote best practice in all stages of manufacturing with an
emphasis on programmes designed to increase productivity and
business efficiency. These can include collaboration with
other technology driven industries such as automotive, motorsport
and aerospace that can open up new business opportunities and
access to a wider pool of technology and research and development
knowledge.
Here are some of the organisations able to assist marine
businesses:
General Business Support
The Department for Business, Innovation
and Skills (BIS) has reduce thed number of
publicly-funded business support schemes from 3000 to no more
than 30 in an effort to reduce duplication and make it simpler
to access support so that businesses can find what they need more
easily.
Business Link remains the
first point of contact for organisations and individuals wanting to
access general business support and advice in England – see below
for Scotland and Wales. Some services such as the
Manufacturing Advisory
Service can be contacted directly where the client knows
the type of support they need.
Designing
Demand Designing Demand is a business support programme
from the Design Council. It helps businesses discover how to become
more innovative, more competitive and more profitable. It
does this by giving managers the skills to exploit design by
spotting opportunities, briefing designers and running design
projects that deliver.
Innovation
Advice South East Business Innovation and Growth provides
focused support which is designed to have a tangible and positive
impact on companies in the South East of England which have the
potential to innovate and grow significantly.
Whatever the size or nature of your business, if it has the
potential, desire and capability to innovate and grow, then a
package of expert support is available through our locally based
Innovation and Growth Teams (IGTs).
Operating throughout the South East, IGTs are staffed with
experienced business professionals, coaches and mentors with
connections to the knowledge base and other specialist support and
whose remit is to help companies to succeed regionally,
nationally
and globally.
Innovation Advice can be found in other regions through Business Link and the
Manufacturing Advisory
Service
Productivity and Business
Improvement
The Manufacturing Advisory Service
(MAS) offers a first class service that produces worthwhile
outcomes for manufacturing businesses, with many successful marine
case studies to its credit. MAS is government funded and
operates in all UK regions. It is now much broader in scope
than “lean” tools and techniques for productivity improvement,
covering product development and innovation, supply chain
development, leadership training and mentoring for SME owners, lean
office and lean service. MAS will usually adapt their
services to suit the needs of the client, and if they can’t offer
what is needed they point you in the right direction, they can also
help source grants for capital equipment and software, including
training in its use.
Some other examples of initiatives to help businesses
include:
Collaborative Research and Development
Involves industrial and research partners who collaborate to
develop proposals in response to themed calls for projects in
specific technology areas, and if successful to carry out projects
with matched funding from the UK government or the EU:
• Technology Strategy Board (TSB) -
UK projects
• European Framework Programme 7
(FP7) - EU projects
Sources of funding for
businesses
Research & Development
(R&D) Tax Credits. The government provides additional
tax reliefs and tax credits to help industry to fund its R&D
and innovate, and the benefits can be obtained by any business that
meets the criteria for qualifying R&D expenditure.
Regional Government
Support
The following are sources for regional grants for R&D and
other business investment:
• Regional Development Agencies in
England (RDA)
• Welsh
Development Agency
• Scottish Enterprise
The BMF maintains a full list of government agencies by
region on its business support section. To view this, click
here.