Close Brothers Asset Finance has appointed Andrew Bowyer to lead the vendor development programme for the Finance for Industry team. Bowyer has been tasked with actively targeting key equipment suppliers to be their finance partner of choice.

He has 20 years’ experience in asset finance, with the last six spent at a major French funder where he successfully grew both broker and vendor business in the industrial, commercial vehicles and construction sectors. Bowyer’s new title is national development manager.
For further information www.closeassetfinance.co.uk

With over 20 years’ experience in the machine-tool sector, Brian Edmondson has assumed the role of Mazak area sales manager for the Midlands, having previously been the company’s area sales manager for the northwest.

Edmundson brings with him a wealth of technical expertise and hands-on engineering knowledge to now support customers in the West Midlands, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. He will be responsible for serving the needs of Mazak customers operating across a variety of market sectors, ranging from general subcontracting through to automotive, aerospace and medical.
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk

SME manufacturers across England have been given a £6.5m funding boost to help them recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and address key barriers to growth.

The Manufacturing Growth Programme, which is funded by ERDF and delivered by Oxford Innovation Services, has been extended until December 2022, and will give a further 2800 companies access to industry experts and grants to tackle immediate business issues and support improvement plans.
This additional backing will safeguard/create 3500 new jobs and takes the total package of support the initiative can deliver to £18.3m 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 that range from environmental improvements, leadership, management and marketing, to skills, quality and supply-chain development.
For further information www.manufacturinggrowthprogramme.co.uk

A manufacturing collective has urged the Government to make its ‘restart, reposition and transform’ commitment to industry a reality and not just another marketing slogan.

The Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), which employs over 2000 people across nine subcontract manufacturers and a specialist engineering design agency, has launched its post COVID-19 ‘MANifesto’. MAN’s 10-point plan focuses on the development of a coherent cross-party industrial strategy and a commitment to reshoring.
For further information www.man-group.co.uk

Space Park Leicester has been selected as a new centre to offer the business incubation programme for UK start-ups run by the European Space Agency (ESA).

The ESA Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC) supports innovative start-up businesses using space technologies or data, enabling them to gain a competitive advantage in today’s global marketplace. Building on the growing list of companies at Space Park Leicester, organisations joining the ESA BIC will gain access to the University of Leicester’s R&D capability across a number of areas.
For further information www.le.ac.uk/spacepark