MAS launches campaign to showcase SMEs

The campaign, branded Manufacturing Matters, intends to raise the profile of a sector that, it points out, accounts for 110,000 businesses, 1.1 million jobs and a major share of £140bn of annual GDP. The initiative will open up dialogue with the media, politicians and industry influencers to ensure the right support is in place to encourage growth and future job creation. It will then culminate with a special week of activities in November that will include the launch of the next MAS Barometer, a series of debates and events covering topics such as innovation, skills, international trade and access to finance. Stephen Peacock,Director at Grant Thornton who leads the consortium delivering MAS, said there was no better time to launch 'Manufacturing Matters' with recent reports and data suggesting a three year high in confidence, investment and output. He continued: "The larger companies are the ones that usually get the column inches and airtime, yet it is the SMEs in the supply chain that make up 95% of industry." Manufacturing Matters is being heralded as "the biggest campaign of its type ever launched" and is backed by BIS (the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills), Growth Accelerator, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and UKTI (UK Trade & Investment).