A Government service to help and advise manufacturers has helped Midland firms to the tune of £7.5 million, it has been revealed.
Extra money is now set to be allocated to help the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) aid more companies in the region.
Figures show the service, which helps companies access help and guidance from industry experts, has delivered an average of £69,000 in savings and new orders to each of the Midland firms it has assisted.
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An extra £17 million over the next three years has now been allocated to help companies around in the country in the various MAS's which were set up in April 2002.
The money will be matchfunded by local regional development agencies, and comes in addition to the £30 million spent on establishing and running MAS.
Jacqui Smith, Trade and Industry Minister, said: "Across the country, the MAS has been a massive success and MAS West Midlands has been one of the best. In the West Midlands, it has delivered £7.5 million of added value to our firms by introducing best practice from industry experts."
In the West Midlands, the service has responded to some 4,200 inquiries from businesses seeking advice, and has visited more than 1,800 businesses to carry out initial diagnostic health checks.
More than 70 MAS events have been held to educate and train local business, while more than 700 in-depth consultations have taken place.
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Ms Smith, the MP for Redditch, said concrete achievements included had helped reduce delivery times, telling firms about the support they can receive.
Englands Specialist Safety Equipment, which is based in Harborne, Birmingham, has been helped to extend its range of products after linking up with MAS. MAS-WM put Englands in touch with experts at the Royal Military College at Cranfield University, where stringent trials and ballistics tests were carried out on various materials.
The company has since developed and launched the Inflatable Body Armour System (IBAS).
FL & E Small, which fabricates steel baskets, was helped to improved its workshop layout and increase production capacity by 20 per cent.
Ms Smith said: "With the challenges of global competition, the best way forward for our firms is to concentrate on added-value processes. MAS has helped many firms achieve that."
TUC regional secretary Roger McKenzie said: "Our discussions with the West Midlands Manufacturing Advisory Service have reinforced our view that following the high tech, high-value route is an important element to grow our manufacturing companies."