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Made Smarter to boost region's manufacturing and engineering sector

Norfolk County Council , 17 January 2025 13:38

Advanced manufacturing and engineering SMEs in the East of England are to receive funding and bespoke support through the Made Smarter Adoption East of England programme, which is to be overseen by Norfolk County Council.

The £1.2m grant scheme made available through an agreement with the Department for Business & Trade will support SMEs' adoption of Industrial Digital Technologies (IDT) through impartial advice and guidance, a digital readiness roadmap, and leadership and management development programmes to upskill the workforce. 

Specifically, the programme aims to overcome key barriers to growth such as low-level awareness of IDT, and accessing funding to invest in IDT solutions, know-how and skills. Match-funded grants of up to £20k will also be on offer for the adoption of new technologies in the financial year 2025-2026.

In the pilot year, it is estimated there will be 133 engagements with businesses, 80 digital road mapping sessions, 20 senior business leaders supported through leadership and management training and 24 operational managers taken through organisation and workforce development. A total of 24 match-funded grants of up to £20k are expected to be awarded.

Cllr Fabian Eagle, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, said: "Manufacturing and engineering is one of the many key sectors in Norfolk and the Made Smarter Adoption East of England programme closely aligns with the priorities set out in the Norfolk Economic Strategy.
 
"It also gives the county council the opportunity to lead a key, nationally and internationally significant programme dedicated to supporting the advanced manufacturing and engineering sector in the East of England and help establish and nurture an important strategic partnership with the Department for Business & Trade for future opportunities."

The East of England is the UK's third largest region when it comes to gross value added (GVA) and its sixth largest manufacturing sector. Manufacturing accounts for 10.4% of the region's total output - above the national average of 9.4%.

Within manufacturing, the three largest sub-sectors are Food & Drink (13.3%) Pharmaceuticals (12%) and Machinery Equipment (10.8%). There were 229,000 manufacturing jobs in the East of England in 2024, representing 7% of its total workforce and 0.6% of the UK's total workforce. 

Made Smarter is an Industry and Government partnership committed to realising the ambitions set out in the 2017 Made Smarter Review, namely how UK manufacturing industries can prosper through digital tools and innovation. 

It identified a range of benefits to the UK manufacturing sector over 2017-2027 from the improved adoption of IDT, including £455bn additional GVA, 30% productivity increase, 175,000 new jobs and a 4.5% reduction in C02 emissions.

Following the recent integration of the New Anglia Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (NAAME) sector support programme into Norfolk County Council, Made Smarter Adoption has resulted from wider conversations with an East of England upper tier authority stakeholder group, working closely with the Department for Business & Trade and Make UK.

The Made Smarter East of England Programme Board, tasked with monitoring the delivery of the programme, will consist of a private sector chair, industry representation and representatives from across the six upper tier authorities in the East of England: Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

Jamie Thums MBE, Chair of NAAME said: "The rollout of the Made Smarter Adoption programme in the East of England represents a pivotal moment for our manufacturing sector. It's more than adopting new technologies. Fundamentally, it's about futureproofing businesses, improving productivity, and cultivating a culture of innovation.

"For our region and sector, this initiative will help firms compete on a global stage while building a sustainable and skilled workforce for the future." 
Businesses from the East of England can now register for this support which starts from 1 April 2025 via the national Made Smarter Adoption Website.

If you have any queries, please contact madesmarter@norfolk.gov.uk. Read our privacy notice to find out how we use your personal information.

Last modified: 20 January 2025 12:23

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