Recruitment has commenced for the next round of the council's Manufacturing Efficiency Programme.

Jointly funded by Belfast and Lisburn City Councils, this programme is designed to support local manufacturers boost their productivity and competitiveness by focusing on their use of resources - energy, materials and man-hours.

The programme will run from September until March 2013 and is open to 12 local manufacturing businesses - six from Belfast and six from Lisburn City Council areas. It will consist of tailored workshops, one-to-one mentoring and support from industry experts. All interested businesses must register for the programme by Friday 14 September.

Alderman Christopher Stalford, Chairman of Belfast City Council’s Development Committee, said: "I'm delighted to announce the Manufacturing Efficiency Programme is now open for recruitment and would encourage local manufacturers to register. The thinking behind manufacturing efficiency is to maximise customer value while minimising waste. By taking part in this exciting programme, we also hope that local manufacturers will enhance their sustainability and competitiveness."

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Alderman Jim Dillon, Chair of Lisburn City Council's Economic Development Committee, said: "Modern manufacturing processes are often highly inefficient in their use of precious resources including energy, materials and man-hours. Lisburn City Council is therefore delighted to support this initiative which is designed to support manufacturers to enhance competitiveness and productivity through a structured programme of analysis, workshops and implementation."

Esme Porter from Suki Tea, a previous participant of the programme, said taking part helped the company srteamline its business and gain a 25 per cent increase in production output.

Mark Smiley, Managing Director of the Cutting Industries in Dunmurry, also took part in the last programme.

"This programme has led to some excellent improvements in production processes, planning and costing systems for Cutting Industries," he said.

"It allowed us to develop new skills for our personnel and will undoubtedly lead to greater profitability for the company."

The Manufacturing Efficiency Programme is a partnership between Belfast City Council and Lisburn City Council with support from the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland. It is being delivered by Ortus Business Development Agency.

(CD)