with a consortium of Manufacturing MD's and CEO's in Birmingham led by Lord Mike Whitby and Baroness Lorely Burt, Manufacturing Advisory Service was asked to be relaunched by voices from industry. No longer reliant on government funding, MAS through its place on the All Parliamentary Manufacturing Group and its operational delivery by the Made in Brand will continue to offer the signposting service of Manufacturing Advisory Service, but not grant funding arm. As a result, the re-launch of the Manufacturing Advisory Service is not like the old service in any way. In October 2016, a further programme was created to fill the void left by MAS by providing access to specialist support, free advice and grant funding to help SME Manufacturers grow and improve their businesses. The Manufacturing Growth Programme, managed by those who ran the MAS programme for 10+ years across the West Midlands, East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber, North West, and South regions, the new programme is also delivered by a number of previous MAS Advisors across 16 LEP regions who offer real advice and sustainable support. The Manufacturing Growth Programme, is the new and only business support initiative to help support SME Manufacturers. Manufacturing Growth Programme In October 2016, SME Manufacturers were given a major boost with a new £9.7m business support initiative to support over 3,000 companies. Funded by ERDF and delivered by Economic Growth Solutions (EGS), the Manufacturing Growth Programme promises to fill the void left by MAS by providing access to specialist assistance to help firms grow and improve. With an 18-strong network of experienced Manufacturing Growth Managers, the majority of which previously delivered the MAS programme, providing bespoke honest advice, MGP also provides access to industry specialists and grant funding to support improvement projects. In July 2017, the programme had supported more than 1,000 SME Manufacturers, created more than 400 new jobs for the industry and enabled companies to make sustainable changes to support continuous growth. Function It has a helpline for advice. It can conduct a free Manufacturing Review on SME manufacturers, and offers subsidised consultancy (up to 50%), and has local events. The support offered by the Manufacturing Advisory Service covers Level 1 (Enquiries) Provided by a small team of advisors geographically dispersed round England supported by a website offeringonline support. Level 2 (Manufacturing Review) Continue to provide 1 day (2 days for more complex businesses), on-site specialist manufacturing diagnostic review.