North West business briefs: Made Smarter; Arbuthnot Commercial ABL; Build a Business; Manchester Utd; Liverpool One

Minister for Industry, Lee Rowley, visited an aerospace manufacturer to see the positive impact of new technology and digital skills introduced with support from Made Smarter.

MSM aerospace fabricators, based in Middleton, develops and manufactures complex parts and assemblies for Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and has been engaged with the North West adoption programme for three years. The SME has tapped into fully funded impartial expert technology advice, a digital transformation workshop, skills development opportunities and two match-funded technology projects.

Mr Rowley was accompanied on his visit by Donna Edwards, programme director for Made Smarter’s North West adoption programme, Steve Cleaver, lead digital transformation specialist at Made Smarter, Clare Porter, head of manufacturing for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and Chris Clarkson, MP for Heywood and Middleton.

He learned about MSM’s use of digital twin technology to redesign its new factory and unlock production and capacity planning in the future. A tour of the premises which it has occupied for more than 80 years, also showcased its investment in 3D printing and the impact it is having on production templates, laser tooling and checking gauges for inspecting components.

Michael Pedley, managing director of MSM, said: “It was a pleasure to demonstrate to Mr Rowley the impact government support can have. Made Smarter has been an incredible support over the last few years, particularly with the devastating impact of coronavirus on the aerospace industry.”

Donna Edwards said: “MSM is one of 1,400 businesses from every corner of the region we have engaged with over the last three years, helping them introduce digital tools and technologies to help boost productivity and growth, navigate COVID-19, and tackle climate change.”

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TP Matrix circuit soldering

Arbuthnot Commercial Asset Based Lending has structured and delivered a flexible funding package to support the refinance of Oldham-based TP Matrix, which was acquired by Amcomri Group in 2021, a fast-growing, acquisitive group of quality British engineering and manufacturing businesses.

The facility comprises a revolving invoice discounting line and cashflow loan, which will support a combination of objectives, including the provision of working capital headroom to drive future growth. Arbuthnot Commercial ABL also recently supported Amcomri’s acquisition of Manchester-based J A Harrison & Co. with an all-asset funding package.

TP Matrix has supported the rail industry for more than 30 years, providing engineering, test, repair, and overhaul services for a wide range of safety-critical equipment associated with passenger and freight rolling stock electronics, including mainline trains, trams, and London underground fleets.

Mark O’Neill, investment director at Amcomri Group, said: “The working capital facility will enable the business to take advantage of a strong pipeline and go on to implement the business plan and drive further organic growth.”

Andrew Rutherford, commercial director at Arbuthnot Commercial ABL, said: “While acquisitions tend to grab the headlines, we view post-acquisition refinancing as an equally important part of the funding mix.”

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Central Library business centre

A new project run by libraries across Greater Manchester is aiming to help budding entrepreneurs develop their business ideas.

‘Build a Business in GM Libraries’ is a new scheme that will be led by Manchester City Council and part funded by the European Union with £1.3m from ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) funding. Manchester Central Library will also act as the hub of the network

The project will run until June 2023 and workshops will begin next week in local Manchester libraries. The workshops will be rolled out across eight Greater Manchester districts: Bolton; Bury; Oldham; Manchester; Salford; Stockport; Tameside; Trafford.

The programme will offer advice, tailored support and guidance to local business owners and their teams through a programme of workshops delivered at libraries. The project will also help entrepreneurs to plan, develop and grow their business ideas, while also providing the opportunity to network with like-minded people in their area. In tandem with the workshops and advice available, one-to-one support will be provided in each authority by local small business experts known as ‘SME Champions’.

Cllr Rabnawaz Akbar, executive member for libraries, said: “The program offers a wide range of support for smaller businesses from one-to-one sessions to industry standard resources from the BIPC (Business and Intellectual Property Centre), which will prove helpful for entrepreneurs wanting to expand their reach and scale up their businesses.”

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Manchester United

Four North West football clubs are in the top 10 sides for the biggest social media following, according to the latest research by betting company Betpack which examined the verified social media profiles of each football club in this season’s Premier League, based on the combined number of followers across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Manchester United topped the league table with a total of 171.8m followers.

Liverpool was placed third, behind Chelsea, with a total of 100.3 million followers, with Manchester City placed fourth, boasting 87.2m accounts. Everton came in at eighth spot, with 10.2m followers.

A spokesperson for Betpack said: “The phrase ‘Manchester United top the table by a distance’ is usually associated with the glory days of Sir Alex Ferguson, but their social media dominance is clear to see.

“Supporters of the club will no doubt hope they can start converting online success into real life trophies.”

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Let’s Get Talking table

Following on from this week’s Time to Talk Day, the nation’s biggest mental health conversation organised by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, a new initiative has been launched by retail centre Liverpool One.

As part of the centre’s commitment to mental health awareness, occupiers have come together and set up ‘Happy to Chat’ tables, providing visitors with friendly and inviting spaces to relax and enjoy a conversation with friends, family or someone new.

Tables have been placed in nine venues across Liverpool One, including Wagamama, Yard & Coop, Mamasan Bar & Brasserie, The Gym Group, Smoke & Dough, Sky TV, Browns, Arket Café and Bierkeller.

Each operator has kept a table empty throughout the day specifically for this initiative with a ‘Happy to Chat’ card displayed.

‘Let’s Get Talking’ is aimed to encourage people to discuss mental health more freely and through Liverpool One’s ‘Happy to Chat’ initiative, the destination continues to champion these meaningful causes in an engaging way.