As part of its response to the Scottish Manufacturing Steering Group (SMSG) report the Scottish Executive agreed to review how best to provide an accessible comprehensive support framework for manufacturers in Scotland in light of experiences of the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) in England and Wales. In doing so, The Executive also agreed to consider what more could be done " to communicate with those involved in manufacturing."
The Executive therefore led a small, public-private sector team to oversee a review of specialist manufacturing advice and support in Scotland. The review team consisted of:
| Douglas Greig (Chair) | Scottish Executive, Head of Enterprise and Industry Division |
| Terry Currie | Scottish Enterprise, Director of Small Business Services |
| Peter Hughes | Chief Executive, Scottish Engineering |
| Susan Lilley | Scottish Executive, Senior Researcher, Analytical Services Division |
| Jackie McAllister | Scottish Executive, Head of Manufacturing Policy Branch |
| Ian McCall | Scottish Executive, Head of Business Growth Unit |
| Douglas MacDiarmid | Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Director, Growing Businesses Group |
| William Moffat | E&R Moffat Ltd, Managing Director |
A summary of the groups report is available here. The full report can be found here.
In arriving at its conclusions, the review commissioned GEN Consulting to carry out a comparative appraisal of the support available to Scottish manufacturers.
A seminar bringing together some current providers of specialist advice to manufacturers in Scotland was held. The seminar, facilitated by Jim McCormick, Director of the independent policy think-tank the Scottish Council Foundation, focused on future support to manufacturers and stakeholders were also invited to provide written submissions on how manufacturing support could be improved.
A full report, capturing both the seminar and written evidence is available here.