The North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA), in partnership with Supply Chain North East, has launched a new programme to support small medium enterprises (SMEs) with essential business basics methodology, often inadvertently missed, or not prioritised, even in normal times.
The programme will support Covid 19 recovery, as well as providing much needed route-to-market opportunities in the automotive sector.
Participants will revisit business basics through a series of funded programmes covering areas including sales and marketing, business strategy, business resilience and wellbeing. Supply Chain North East is a multimillion pound programme aimed at revolutionising the way SMEs diversify their offering and embrace new markets.
The programme has received more than £3 million of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund, which is part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
Paul Butler, chief executive, North East Automotive Alliance, said: “The North East Automotive Alliance exists to assist and sustain the growth of its members and our SME participants by providing a platform that delivers opportunities and valuable resource. The Supply Chain North East programme, which we commenced in 2019 alongside other partners, offers real value and support to companies, and this new back to business basics initiative will help those who have been hit extremely hard by the events of 2020.
“The basic tools and techniques required to maintain and grow a well-rounded business are often overlooked by the everyday running of an organisation. Many businesses have had the wind taken out of their sails this year. They urgently need to take stock and make sure they have the basics in place to steady their ships and prepare for whatever challenge comes next, be it Brexit or the unknown. The NEAA can transfer exemplar OEM and tier 1 automotive knowledge and deliver additional support material from our wide and extensive membership capability, tapping into the 65 webinars we have delivered in 2020 to support businesses.
“Using the ERDF funded Supply Chain North East to deliver the back to business basics programme means we can offer SMEs an integrated approach to reassessing the foundations of their business and the expert advice and insight on how to create a structure that facilitates and sustains growth during both prosperous and challenging times.”
In addition to the North East Automotive Alliance, Supply Chain North East brings together key partners, RTC North, Generator and North East Process Industry Cluster, to work with over 800 businesses through to 2021, supporting them to identify opportunities in new and existing markets. An integral part of the North East Strategic Economic Plan, it has a vision to create 100,000 more and better jobs between 2014 and 2024.