£5m grant funding for Yorkshire and Humber: here’s what local firms need to know about Made Smarter

Made Smarter, operated by SYMCA and WYCA works with hundreds of local firms every year, helping them develop and grow.

There’s £5 million in the Made Smarter fund for the region, and £60,000 has been allocated in the last two months alone in York and North Yorkshire.

Robots and other hi-tech systems are some of the investments made by small manufacturing firms in the region after receiving grants of up to £20,000 since March. These came after successful applications were made to the Yorkshire and Humberside Made Smarter programme.

Mike Pennington, business relationship manager, says the Made Smarter organisation is not only committed to helping firms all year round, but is proud to be a sponsor of the first North Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards taking place at York Racecourse this June. The event is being organised by The Yorkshire Post and its parent company National World.

Mike said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the inaugural Apprenticeship Awards, supporting the manufacturing category.

“It is vitally important that we develop and support apprentices in the workplace and continue to have that strong link between education and business.

“These individuals are the future of the manufacturing industry and we must harness the support and development they need.”

About Made Smarter

The Made Smarter programme has been set up to improve industrial digitalisation. Operating across the UK, there is £5 million ear-marked for this region, which is likely to be shared between up to 1000 local businesses. The money will be used to offer intensive one-to-one advice and support delivered through Growth Hubs in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Hull and East Yorkshire and York and North Yorkshire.

As well as expert advice, there is matched funding available for eligible applications from firms who want to invest in digital technology.

Mike added: “I’m delighted with the start we’ve made for the York and North Yorkshire region, supporting these businesses.

“We’re helping firms who, though small, are serving global markets with some very interesting projects. I’m really pleased that in these difficult times we’re making a real difference within our region to the manufacturing/ food and drink sectors.”

Amongst the first companies to receive grants were Malton based HMI Elements, which is now upgrading parts of its production processes used to manufacture specialised IT equipment.

HMI’s director, Howard Gould, said: “Given the volume of our orders, being able to invest in the latest manufacturing technology means we can become leaner and smarter.

“We’re also retaining all our workforce which I’m pleased to say we can redeploy into other production areas, further increasing efficiencies.”

Also receiving Made Smarter grants in recent weeks has been precision engineering firm Hunprenco, based near Filey, and Skipton-based food supplement business Health Innovations.

A further six companies in the region have now applied for funding and digital support.

Made Smarter Roundtable sessions, in conjunction with Y&NY, help firms communicate and collaborate. The next event, again chaired by The Yorkshire Post’s Deputy Business Editor, Greg Wright, takes place on Thursday, June 15, @ CU Scarborough.

Applications are now open for the awards – find out more information here.