Made Smarter, the government-backed £20m business support programme aimed at North West SME manufacturers who want to embrace more digital technologies, has announced details of its first Lancashire event.
Taking place at County Hall in Preston on the morning of 4 February, the Manufacturing Made Smarter In Lancashire workshop will give the region’s manufacturers a chance to find out first-hand all about the new Made Smarter programme.
This includes finding out more about how to qualify for free advice and funding support to help with the adoption of new, smarter production methods such as 3D-printing, the use of ‘big’ data and the latest design software.
Experts in robotics and automation, additive manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IOT), and other advanced manufacturing processes, will also be on hand to give advice and share their knowledge.
North West companies who already have some ideas about how they would like to upgrade their technology, or explore something new and radical, will be able to speak to specialist digital technology advisors about Made Smarter’s match-funded grant scheme.
Firms who attend will also get the chance to register for an audit of their business from a Made Smarter consultant who will visit their premises. The consultant will then prepare a diagnostic report together with recommendations regarding how new technology could potentially help the company increase productivity, cut operating costs and develop new processes and products.
Leading the Preston event, which is a co-production with Lancashire’s Boost business support service, will be Made Smarter Programme Manager Alain Dilworth.
He said: “Lancashire was at the very heart of the first industrial revolution and remains home to hundreds of high-quality engineering, automotive, aerospace, food production and other manufacturing businesses.
“It’s therefore fantastic that we are hosting this event in the county, and we are greatly looking forward to tapping into Lancashire’s long, passionate and proud tradition of innovation, production and global commerce.”
Andy Walker from Lancashire County Council said: “Programmes like Made Smarter, together with our own Innovation Strategy, have the potential to transform the way Lancashire does business and is especially relevant for smaller firms across the county.
“Also, as this event will demonstrate, Made Smarter isn’t for just for tech companies or advanced manufacturers, it’s for any manufacturing business which is interested in finding out about new ways of working but isn’t sure where to start.”
Any company interested in registering for the event should contact Boost.
