Multi-million pound boost for UK manufacturing supply chains
Successful bids from Round 1 of the Government’s £125 million Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI) are projected to create…
Successful bids from Round 1 of the Government’s £125 million Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI) are projected to create or safeguard over 2,160 jobs supported by approximately £80 million of joint public and private sector investment.
Of the £80 million investment, around £30 million has been awarded from the initiative subject to due diligence, with a further £50 million being leveraged from private sector partners.
The investments will finance and strengthen 11 manufacturing supply chain projects across the automotive, aerospace and chemical sectors - key areas of the Government’s Industrial Strategy.
Examples of winning Round 1 projects include an advanced manufacturing proving factory to develop the mass production of new low carbon technologies in Yorkshire and the surrounding areas, an automotive supplier that is enlarging and enhancing its manufacturing facility in the West Midlands and a next generation bio-process manufacturing capability being developed in the Tees Valley.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said:
“Over half the UK’s exports and almost three quarters of our business research and development activity is in manufacturing, so it’s vital that we create the right conditions to encourage growth in the industry.
“The successful applications in AMSCI Round 1 represent a high quality of projects that bring together businesses and forge new partnerships across various supply chains that will strengthen our presence in Europe and the world.
“Through this initiative Government and industry can work together to help UK supply chains become more globally competitive, and plug the gaps that act as barriers to efficiency and expansion.”
AMSCI is part funded by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund and is delivered in partnership with the Technology Strategy Board - the UK’s innovation agency - and Birmingham City Council as the accountable authority, on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Sir Albert Bore, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said:
“Working in this new partnership has been ground-breaking. We are making use of new legislation which gives local authorities the powers for the first time to operate outside their region at a national and even an international level. We hope this will be a model BIS and central government will use again.”
AMSCI complements the work of ongoing Government initiatives such as the Regional Growth Fund, Manufacturing Advisory Service and work of UK Trade and Investment to boost UK supply chains.
**Notes to editors:
**i. Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative
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Business Secretary Vince Cable announced the creation of the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI) on 6 December 2011.
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Up to £125 million was made available through the initiative to improve the global competitiveness of UK advanced manufacturing supply chains.
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Companies were invited to express interest in applying and the competitions opened for applications in March 2012.
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There were two different streams in Round 1 of the competition. Up to £100 million of the overall funding was available for projects seeking to make a sectoral-level impact and collaboration to create world class excellence in supply chains in any manufacturing sector and any part of the country (Stream 1). Up to £25 million of the fund was available for projects from organisations operating as part of an aerospace or automotive supply chain; and based within the four Local Enterprise Partnership areas that were covered by the existing successful Regional Growth Fund bid (Black Country, Coventry & Warwickshire, Greater Birmingham & Solihull and Liverpool City Region).
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Suppliers, including small and medium sized enterprises, were encouraged to submit joint proposals that demonstrate potential to strengthen and be better joined-up across whole supply chains.
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Birmingham City Council is the accountable authority for the initiative, delivering the scheme in partnership with the Technology Strategy Board and Finance Birmingham on behalf of BIS.
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Applications were assessed by the Government’s Technology Strategy Board, which has a strong track record in supporting credible advanced manufacturing projects which leverage significant private investment and have buy-in from the prime manufacturers at the top of supply chains.
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The scheme was open to bids from all advanced manufacturing sectors except those where barriers to entry are low or displacement levels high.
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Further details of the fund can be found on Birmingham City Council’s website at [www.birmingham.gov.uk/amsci]
ii. AMSCI Round 1 project successes (Subject to due diligence)
Stream 1
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‘The Proving Factory’
Location: Rotherham, Yorkshire
Lead organisation: Productiv Limited
Partners: Tata Steel, Bladon Jets, Drive Systems Design Ltd, Flybrid Systems LLP, Libralto Engines Ltd, Zytek Ltd, Aeristech Ltd, Unipart Eberspacher Exhaust Systems Ltd, MIRA Ltd and MTC Ltd -
‘BioMOD’
Location: Wilton, Tees Valley
Lead organisation: Centre for Process Innovation Limited
Partners: ECOSYL Products Limited, BioProcess Engineering Services Limited, National Renewable Energy Centre Limited and University of Leeds
Further information for Stream 1 successes and contact details, contact BIS press office.
Stream 2
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High Strength Glass Manufacture’
Location: St Helens, North West
Lead organisation: NGF EUROPE Limited -
‘Indestructible Paint Limited - Production growth development programme’
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands
Lead organisation: Indestructible Paint Limited -
‘Automated Body-in-Black Architectures’
Location: Coventry, West Midlands
Lead organisation: Penso Consulting Limited -
‘Turbocharger Housing Machining’
Location: Walsall, West Midlands
Lead organisation: Chamberlin plc -
‘EXAMP’
Location: Coventry, West Midlands
Lead organisation: Expert Tooling & Automation Ltd -
‘Manufacturing expansion in the Midlands’
Location: Walsall, West Midlands
Lead organisation: ZF Lemforder UK Ltd -
‘Collaborate to Growth’
Location: Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, West Midlands
Lead organisation: Advance Consultancy Limited
Partners: Agile Business Solutions (UK) Ltd, Midland Aerospace Alliance Ltd, University of Liverpool and Aventa UK Ltd -
‘Business and Capacity Improvement Project’
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands
Lead organisation: QPP -
‘Aluminium Low Pressure Die Casting Manufacturing Company - NewCo’
Location: Coventry, West Midlands
Lead organisation: King Automotive Systems Limited
For further details on the Stream 2 projects please contact Sarah Kirby at Birmingham City Council press office, on 0121 303 3885 or email: [sarah.kirby@birmingham.gov.uk](mailto:sarah.kirby@birmingham.gov.uk)
iii. Technology Strategy Board
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The Technology Strategy Board is the UK’s innovation agency. Its goal is to accelerate economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led innovation. Sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Technology Strategy Board brings together business, research and the public sector, supporting and accelerating the development of innovative products and services to meet market needs, tackle major societal challenges and help build the future economy. For more information please visit [www.innovateuk.org](http://www.innovateuk.org)
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The Government’s economic policy objective is to achieve ‘strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries’. It set four ambitions in the ‘Plan for Growth’ (PDF 1.7MB), published at Budget 2011:
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To create the most competitive tax system in the G20
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To make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business
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To encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy
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To create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.
Work is underway across Government to achieve these ambitions, including progress on more than 250 measures as part of the Growth Review. Developing an Industrial Strategy gives new impetus to this work by providing businesses, investors and the public with more clarity about the long-term direction in which the Government wants the economy to travel.
- BIS’s online newsroom contains the latest press notices and speeches, as well as video and images for download. It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See [http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom](http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom) for more information.
Notes to Editors
Contact Information
Name BIS Press Office Job Title
Division Department for Business, Innovation & Skills Phone
Fax
Mobile
Email bispress.releases@bis.gsi.gov.uk
Name Andy Aston Job Title
Division Department for Business, Innovation & Skills Phone 0207 215 6963 Fax
Mobile