In the last seven years the Government-funded Made Smarter digital adoption programme has unlocked £4.5m of tech investment for Liverpool city region SMEs and has now hit a major milestone. Tony McDonough reports

Digital adoption programme Made Smarter has funded its 400th technology adoption project in Liverpool city region.

Funded by the Government, Made Smarter helps SMEs invest in digital tools and systems to turbo-charge their businesses and create more jobs. Now its latest five projects have pushed it over the 400 mark in the city region.

In the past seven years local manufacturers have accessed £1.4m in matched funding from Made Smarter. This has unlocked £4.5m of investment in 68 technology projects, ranging from sensors and robotics to 3D printing and artificial intelligence.

These investments are forecast to generate more than 400 new jobs and upskill almost 425 existing roles, while delivering a £54.7m boost to the regional economy over the next three years.

The 400 landmark was achieved after five companies in the city region secured support from the programme. They include:

• H Miller Bros (Liverpool) – Hardwood kitchens.
• Doorstore (Wirral) (Birkenhead) – UPVC, composite, and wooden doors.
• Surepac (Liverpool) – Cardboard packaging.
• D Squared Product Development (Liverpool) – design, engineering, and manufacturing consultancy.
• Ashe Morris (trading as AM Technology) (Runcorn) – Continuous flow reactors for chemical and pharmaceutical production.

H Miller Bros secured a Made Smarter grant of £19,000 towards a project to invest £39,000 into a Dynamics CDS 1530 nesting CNC router and Cabinet Visions parametric CadCam.

Director Howard Miller said: “Taking part in Made Smarter introduced us to a raft of ideas that completely transformed our business.

“We’ve adopted LEAN principles, upgraded software, introduced new admin and sales systems, invested in up to date machinery and streamlined our products. We’ve at least halved the time it takes to complete each project.

“We’ve still got the same staff, but everyone is significantly more productive.”

Donna Edwards, programme director of Made Smarter, added: “Reaching our 400th funded technology project is a proud milestone for Made Smarter and a powerful demonstration of what manufacturers in the North West can achieve with the right support.

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“Over the last seven years, we’ve seen hundreds of SMEs take confident steps towards digitalisation, boosting productivity, creating jobs, and laying the groundwork for long-term growth.

“What excites me most is that this is just the beginning. With every new project, we’re building a stronger, smarter manufacturing base — better equipped to meet the challenges of tomorrow and lead the way in innovation, resilience, and sustainability.”