Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service

Small changes to the way you work can make a big difference to your productivity and business growth.

What is it?

If you're a manufacturing business, you'll know the importance of being efficient. Small changes to the way you work can make a big difference to your productivity and business growth.

The Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS) can help Highlands and Islands businesses to grow through the development of new products, services, processes and new ways of working.

SMAS support: 

• Manufacturing review The manufacturing review is free and provides you with qualified and impartial feedback on the current state and potential opportunities within your business.
• Improving your layout Using your space more effectively can speed up production and win new business. The free diagnostic review can benefit you.
• Developing your workforce An engaged, skilled and committed workforce helps you realise potential and seize opportunities. We can help you address barriers to growth as well as other challenges you may face.
• Improving quality and delivery Many manufacturers continue with their current work practices simply because they already exist and are part of their culture. We can help you focus on improving the quality of production, the end product and the delivery mechanisms.
• Streamlining your business Streamlining isn't limited to the factory floor. It applies across your entire business. We'll help you apply new thinking techniques to your office environment helping you meet present business challenges.
• Developing your strategy Our team can help you develop a strategy that will determine what needs to be done now and in the future for your business to succeed.
• Developing your product New products play a key role in business performance. Investing in their development is crucial to growth and profitability. We can guide you through how the lean process allows new products to be introduced in a structured way, thus reducing time to market.
• Supply chain management Our team will focus on your supply chain and logistics processes to ensure they meet current challenges and will take advantage of the coming upturn.
• Procurement and sourcing Lean procurement and sourcing can greatly increase the profitability of your manufacturing business. Applying lean techniques to your procurement process can quickly drive benefit to the bottom line.