The LEP and the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub have been working to support our manufacturing sector through the pandemic.

The sector employs approximately 39,000 workers and accounts for 16% of the jobs in our area when including agri-food manufacturing. The economic value for the Greater Lincolnshire economy is £1.8 billion per year and growth is taking place across a number of key areas, including engineering, chemicals, metals and polymers.

The Greater Lincolnshire LEP and the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub have been working at pace to gather intelligence and shape interventions to support our critical and varied manufacturing sector through the pandemic.

Funding Programmes

Two new funding programmes have been developed: the Manufacturing Transformation programme and a Supply Chain Improvement programme. The aims of these programmes are to help businesses to diversify, innovate and develop robust local supply chains.  

Our new Manufacturing Transformation Programme is here to support Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland manufacturers to recover from the effects of COVID-19. As well as preparing businesses for the economic challenges ahead, this programme will help businesses to reach new heights and become more successful than ever before.

Our new Supply Chain Improvement programme is here to provide insight and knowledge of how businesses can best manage their supply chainsand understand the risks and issues they are exposed to. 

Businesses will gain a holistic view of their supply chain, be able to strategically analyse with greater confidence, and have greater ability to better deal with its complexities such as working simultaneously with customers and suppliers to increase efficiency and performance.

Greater Lincolnshire Manufacturing Network

This is an exciting new initiative which offers huge potential to support the manufacturing sector across the county and bridges the gap between academia and manufacturing businesses.

The LEP’s Manufacturing Strategy identified greater alignment between the manufacturing sector, the University of Lincoln and the wider community, and this new network aims to facilitate visibility, accessibility and engagement with the University of Lincoln’s schools of Engineering, and Chemistry and the broader College of Science. The first event will take place on 3rd November 2020.

The network will support the growth and development of SMEs by promoting best practice, manufacturing practices and partnership opportunities, will showcase technological advances and cutting-edge thinking and will act as a knowledge transfer vehicle between academia and industry.

It will provide a knowledge-intensive business corridor locally at the heart of the manufacturing business in Greater Lincolnshire and will be open to all manufacturing businesses in Greater Lincolnshire. The network will be piloted for one year and members will be able to join free of charge.

To express an interest in membership please email businesslincolnshire@lincolnshire.gov.uk

Make UK

Over the last five months we have been working in collaboration with Make UK – the voice for the manufacturing sector - and have partnered together to offer free access to a coronavirus recovery pack for the sector.

This is a free resource for our manufacturing businesses to access, along with a dedicated contact call from Make UK to receive information on benefits and services.  

Make UK has agreed a 50% reduction for one year’s UK membership and one month’s access to its COVID-19 legal helpline (which normally costs £500 for businesses under 50 employees), and we are delighted to be able to offer it to manufacturing organisations for £250. The cost for businesses between 50 and 250 employees is £1,000 and again, we are offering this at a reduced cost of £750. 

Click here for more information.

Make UK has been firmly engaged in the recovery from COVID-19 by campaigning hard to change government policy. Supported by a partnership of Midlands LEP Growth Hubs, Make UK has:

  • campaigned to secure direct Government financial support for manufacturing businesses including the introduction and ongoing development of loan schemes to support manufacturers in accessing finance and staying operational during the pandemic
  • supported maintaining cash flow to enable continued operations
  • brought forward schemes to support the workforce
  • progressed the building of smart, resilient manufacturing supply chains by securing Government funding to support an industrial research project in digital technologies via the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
  • further led the green revolution in building a sustainable economy by working closely with Government to map out clear path for the UK manufacturing sector to meet the target of net zero emissions by 2050
  • worked to minimise the risks of leaving the EU and maximise global opportunities
  • continued to focus on upskilling and retraining workforces and to inspire the next generation, including securing an additional £110m to pay for industry-standard equipment in the delivery of T-levels and teacher training
  • maintained access to vital people and skills

Read the Make UK Mid-Year Policy Wins 2020 document here.

More about how we support manufacturing

The Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub offers dedicated pages to the sector as follows:

We are looking for more manufacturing businesses to be included in our Made in Lincolnshire digital brochure and so we are asking for businesses to get involved. Read more here and register your interest at businesslincolnshire@lincolnshire.gov.uk.