North Wales manufacturers secure share of £900,000 funding boost

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter

Almost £1 million has been awarded to manufacturers in north Wales as the region’s Advanced Manufacturing Investment Zone helps local employers bridge the skills and technology gap.

Successful applications from 15 businesses will see grants totalling £898,461 invested to create 79 manufacturing jobs in Sandycroft, Saltney, Greenfield and Mold in Flintshire.

Issued by Flintshire County Council on behalf of Ambition North Wales, the grants were awarded on a match-funding basis with businesses committing £1.2m to generate more than £2m of total investment in the county’s manufacturing sector.

The scheme is designed to help Flintshire’s small and medium-sized manufacturers to grow faster, ensuring that as the Flintshire and Wrexham Investment Zone develops, the skilled workforce and high-tech support manufacturers need can be found nearby.

Approved projects will see SMEs invest in new machinery, automation, property improvements, energy efficiency, industry accreditations and wider productivity improvements as well as training and employing new staff.

Demand has been so high that the initial round of funding has already closed. A new round is expected to reopen in the autumn.

“This is exactly what the Investment Zone was designed to do,” said Flintshire Council Leader Cllr Dave Hughes. “To back our local manufacturers to grow, invest and create jobs.

“We’re already seeing businesses bring forward plans to modernise equipment, expand capacity and improve efficiency. These are projects that might not have happened without this support.

“Just as importantly, every pound of public funding is being matched by businesses themselves, unlocking significant private investment for Flintshire’s economy.

“The level of demand we’ve seen shows real ambition in our manufacturing sector and we’re looking forward to reopening the scheme in the autumn to support even more firms.”

The grant programme is a key part of the wider Investment Zone, which offers tax efficiencies for businesses who  base their manufacturing operations in one of the key zones within Wrexham or Flintshire.

Flintshire and Wrexham Councils also benefit from the retention of business rates charged within the Investment Zone areas to reinvest in public services.