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 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 reduced the 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.
BIS produce a document that outlines the various routes to
finance available to SME's. Please click
here to access the Gov.uk document.
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 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.
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.