330 North West businesses, including 56 from Liverpool city region, have invested £25m into digital projects and created 400 new jobs with the support of the Made Smarter programme. Tony McDonough reports

A Government-backed programme to encourage small and medium-sized firms to adopt digital technology and skills has led to £25m in investment in the North West alone.

Since its launch in 2019, 330 firms in the region, including 56 from Liverpool city region, have secured £7.1m from Made Smarter in matched funding and secured £18m of private sector investment.

This has led to 400 new jobs being created and a further 391 roles unskilled. Made Smarter offers support through grant funding, impartial technology advice, leadership, and skills training to help transform their businesses.

Businesses across the North West have adopted technologies including sensors, robotics, 3D printing and artificial intelligence (AI). It is estimated these investments will add £267m to the regional economy in the next three years.

In Liverpool city region 56 companies have invested almost £4.3m into 63 projects while boosting the local economy by £53.5m.

Made Smarter’s funding panel, which comprises leading figures from across the worlds of business, government and academia, offers grants of up to £20,000 towards new technology and digital tools.

Among the latest wave of companies securing grants are woodworking machines manufacturer JJ Smith & Co in Kirkby and Fusion Implants, an additive manufacturing specialist, based in Liverpool.

JJ Smith has adopted robotics and software to accelerate its development of automation solutions aimed at simplifying manufacturing processes to the woodworking sector.

Sales director Ian Stanley said: “We have a clear strategy for digital transformation and business growth. This technology can revolutionise our approach to programming and testing.

“This rapid turnaround time enables us to provide our customers with proof of concept swiftly and efficiently, enhancing our responsiveness and improving our chances of securing sales, and maintaining a competitive edge in the market.”

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Donna Edwards, director of the Made Smarter Adoption Programme in the North West, added: “These technology projects will have a tremendous impact on individuals, businesses, the sector and society. 

“They will boost efficiency, productivity and growth, creating new jobs and upskilling existing roles, all while shifting the dial on creating a more sustainable approach to manufacturing.”