A business support programme that has created and safeguarded over 10,000 manufacturing jobs is urging local authorities to ensure assistance remains in place under the new funding landscape. Bosses at the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), which provides grants and consultancy to SME manufacturers in 18 LEP regions, are warning that the potential gap between European Regional Development Funding and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund could see businesses left without the assistance they need. The MGP has delivered more than £13.5m in grants to 4300 companies over the past three years.
For further information www.manufacturinggrowthprogramme.co.uk

Yamazaki Mazak is set to open the doors of its production facilities in Worcester to members of the public as part of the inaugural National Manufacturing Day on Thursday 7 July. National Manufacturing Day, co-ordinated by Make UK, aims to showcase the broad range of skilled, well-paid and rewarding career opportunities available to school leavers and graduates, as well and those looking to reskill at all levels. As part of its National Manufacturing Day open house, Mazak will be offering visitors guided tours of its European manufacturing plant. The site produces over 1000 machine tools a year.
For further information www.bit.ly/3y6bcmb

Ongoing expansion at Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) has seen the cutting tool manufacturer add a new technical sales engineer to its expanding team. The appointment of Ben Morgan will bolster the sales support provided to manufacturers in the south of the UK, predominantly in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Hampshire. Morgan entered the industry as an engineering apprentice in 2011, learning his trade as a multi-axis programmer and machinist in the aerospace industry. He progressed to team leader before moving to another prestigious manufacturer and subsequently joining ITC.
For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Northumbria University’s Newcastle Business School has entered into a strategic partnership with the Advanced Manufacturing Forum (AMF). A community of industry experts, the AMF brings together the northeast’s manufacturing and engineering sector to engage with the wider business community. A key remit of the AMF is to exchange ideas and knowledge in order to generate business growth, share opportunities and champion advanced manufacturing. The move will facilitate the dissemination of current thinking directly into industry, while allowing new questions and areas for investigation to emerge.
For further information www.northumbria.ac.uk/nbs