A new specialist advisory company has been launched in a bid to help develop, improve, and grow manufacturing within Yorkshire.

Dubbed the Manufacturing Advisory Directorate (MAD) Yorkshire, its focus is on providing manufacturers with a single point of contact for a multitude of business services which can help drive growth, increase profitability, and prioritise efficiency.

Its team of experts will be able to help manufacturers identify the core areas to strengthen in relations to business compliance, finance and legal, sales and marketing, growth and business strategy, Logistics, IT, and Energy.

MAD is made up of a board of highly experienced consultants and interims who have over 100 years combined experience of delivering their specialities within the sector.

It is headed up by business strategist Neil Jaggar, IT specialist Tor Mackenzie and R&D specialist accountant Vicky Newham who have worked together in the industry for over a decade.

Its team of consultants include financial planner Andy Bennett, electrical compliance expert Richard Carr, commercial and employment lawyer Richard Newstead, marketing strategist Steven Burles, environmental architect John Pickup, health and safety specialist Tony Eckersley, business efficiency expert Chris Parker, technical sales specialist Carlyn Wiltshire, security specialist Luke Appleby, ISO consultant Richard Clegg, logistics specialist Howard Mould, insurance broker Lucy Thornhill, and funding/grants specialists Jenny Hill, Katie Wytwyckyj and Rob Woollin.

The group came together in 2020 in response to the disruption caused by the pandemic and Brexit, and the need for specialist support within the manufacturing sector.

Together, the founders identified the core issues facing the sector and the support services they would require in order to bounce back and keep the sector thriving in Yorkshire.

They partnered with the relevant consultants and developed an approach that involves an initial consultation with Neil Jaggar who identifies the right strategy for growth and brings in the required specialist to implement the changes.

Neil said this approach is key to helping manufacturers invest in the right areas to get the biggest change and ROI within their business:

“Often, it’s rather difficult for business owners to identify the areas in which they need to invest, in order to get the biggest change. There’s noise about digital transformation, compliance, branding, innovation and more, and it can be confusing to those so close to their own business, meaning investment is often made into the wrong things,” he said.

“We’ve created the approach of having that initial consultation with a business strategist so that we can help manufacturers make the right choices, and then put them in touch with our trusted consultants to implement the changes,” he added.

Tor Mackenzie, founder or MAD said: “The sector has seen a lot of changes and disruption over the last 2 years with Brexit and the pandemic, and as specialists who’ve worked with manufacturers for most of our careers, we felt we needed to do something positive to help them navigate the new world.

“The response within our existing network since launching has been phenomenal, and we can’t wait to see the change we can bring about for more manufacturers in the Yorkshire area.”

To find out more about MAD or book an initial consultation, please visit https://madyorkshire.co.uk/.