Projects to improve the efficiency of Scotland’s vital manufacturing base delivered cost-savings of more than £25 million in the last year.
New figures from Scottish Enterprise show that one-to-one business support was provided to 185 businesses north of the border last year, with total achieved savings increasing by £4.2m on the year previous.
The national enterprise agency said energy-focused engineering firms, general manufacturers and food and drink producers had been the top three sectors seeking assistance from the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS) during 2013/14.
The data published as 400 Scottish business leaders gathered at Dunblane Hydro hotel yesterday for SMAS’s annual conference showed that Fife was among the top-three regions in terms of support delivered, while Glasgow achieved the most in terms of value-added benefits with a £3.2m uplift.
“These figures highlight that manufacturing remains vital to a robust Scottish economy, with 60% of Scotland’s international exports and 50% of all business research coming from manufacturing businesses,” SE director of operations Adrian Gillespie said.
“SMAS support is a driver for growth and a platform for higher value support such as exporting, supply chain development and investment. By encouraging and supporting transformational business efficiency projects, we can help companies become as competitive as possible, giving them the best chance of success, and creating a culture of continuous improvement to enable increased innovation and exporting.”
Since being set up in 2006, SMAS has delivered more than 1,050 business improvement projects across Scotland.
An estimated £135m of value-added benefit has been created by the scheme in that time by SMAS helping firms to grow by providing assistance with account management, supply chain development and investment plans and encouraging exporting into new and existing markets.
Finance Secretary and conference speaker John Swinney said the manufacturing sector had a vital role to play in Scotland’s economic fightback.
“The manufacturing industry underpins all of Scotland’s key sectors and therefore underpins the success of our whole economy, and right from the start of the economic downturn,” Mr Swinney said.
“The record savings that businesses have made during 2013/14 is down to the hard work from them but also the team at SMAS.
“With almost £26m of savings it shows the delivery of more high-value, transformational projects, which has helped improve production techniques, reduce costs and boost their competitiveness.”