Sponsored by Huntingdonshire District Council and supported by Huntingdonshire Chamber of Commerce, Huntingdonshire Regional College and Business Link East, the group has been created to reinforce the manufacturers' role in the district's economy. It will also help them promote high standards in manufacturing and access training and funding opportunities.
The launch was personally endorsed by Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham, Minister of State for UK trade and industry and prominent champion of British manufacturing. Delegates heard key speakers from HSBC Bank, the East of England Regional Development Agency and the Institute of Manufacturing at University of Cambridge.
Stuart Gibbons, managing director of the Le Mark Group and chairman of the association, said, "As chairman of the association, the launch certainly met my expectations. I was extremely encouraged to talk to attendees that 100 per cent endorsed the formation of the new manufacturing association, and have offered their skills and time in forming a steering committee to guide this new initiative as it progresses over the coming months."
(Jim Evans)
