Established in 2010, the £2.2 million ‘Business Excellence Programme’ (BEP) aims to improve the business performance of automotive and related companies in the North West region. It is unique, as it is the only funded automotive specific business support project in England.
Both large companies and SMEs are invited to participate in the programme, with the aim of improving their economic position through improved performance. BEP membership is free, funded with European monies and companies are able to select which services and activities they access, as needed.
The support has been designed to be flexible, to accommodate the requirements of a wide range of companies, and focuses on improving business practices, sustainability, competitiveness and profitability. The services are either free or are heavily subsidised and include:
Subsidised mentoring and technical support this is delivered through a panel of approved consultants. Once a company has identified where improvements can be made, then the client submits a funding request to BEP and is assisted with procuring service providers.
A diverse range of initiatives can be supported, including benchmarking, system development, marketing, finance, sales, procurement, culture, HR, quality standards, communication, lean manufacture, etc. SMEs can obtain up to 35% contribution to consultancy costs and large companies a 20% contribution. For example, upon approval an SME with a £20,000 project would receive a contribution of £7,000.
Subsidised training from NAA delivered courses.
Business Excellence networking events – these are held quarterly and include a site tour, case study and a ‘vital topic’ chosen by BEP members. Other events are regularly held, dependent upon demand.
Promotion of companies’ products, services and successes regionally, nationally and internationally. This may include speaker slots at events, meet-the-buyer activity, subsidised and supported trade shows (25% contribution to SMEs), inclusion in the automotive sector supply chain directory and promotion through NAA website, case studies, networking events and e-news articles.
Referrals to other relevant national, regional and locally delivered programmes.
The success of the programme is measured by the economic benefit that businesses achieve, for example, a record of individuals trained, jobs created and safeguarded and financial improvements in the business would need to be reported. If you are interested in improving your business performance and consider that the NAA’s Business Excellence Programme will benefit you, then please contact me or another member of the team. We will arrange a meeting with you and discuss the programme in further detail.
For more information and to join, please contact:
Dr Martin Andrews MCMI
Project Manager
M: 07870 812 214
E: m.andrews@nwautoalliance.com