Policy meets SME
NOTHING IS OFF THE TABLE Machinery & Manufacturing listened in at recent roundtable event attended by notable industry stakeholders and a Member of Parliament. Growth and skills topped the agenda.
NAAME [New Anglia Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering] serves as a trusted forum for industry, academia and the public sector in Norfolk and Suffolk, facilitating the sharing of ideas, challenges and best practices within a culture of mutual support and encouragement. The group recently staged an East of England Manufacturing Roundtable at Suffolk New College in Ipswich, a hotly anticipated event. Bringing together policymakers and industry leaders, the roundtable explored opportunities for growth, innovation and collaboration. A notable attendee was Jack Abbott, MP for Ipswich and the Government’s Mission Champion
for the East of England, who fielded questions from 18 attendees representing industries that included precision manufacturing, heavy engineering, technology and automation. Growth opportunities Andy Heffer-Lamond, all-round manufacturing industry guru and Sales & Project Manager at sheet-metal contractor HF Bond, chaired proceedings. The debate begin with the topic of growth, or to be more precise, barriers to growth. Recent increases in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and the minimum wage are causing concern among many manufacturers,
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Machinery & Manufacturing
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