Spread risk, learn from others to makes sure you avoid their mistakes and make the most of every opportunity to meet people and network are some of the top tips for exporters from Lord Digby Jones.

The former Minister of Trade and Industry was speaking at an event in Wakefield, organised by UKTI and  looking at export growth opportunities for companies in the advanced engineering sector.

Manufacturing accounts for 40…

A new survey from the CBI says manufacturers are seeing order books weaken as a result of the continuing instability in the Eurozone.

Symington’s, the Leeds-based food business, has added to its portfolio of leading names by acquiring the Chicken Tonight and Ragu brands.

The purchase of the two names from Unilever by the Leeds-based business is expected to boost its annual gross sales to around £150m.

It follows the recent acquisition of salad crouton brand La Rochelle and the re-introduction of the Campbell’s soup brand to British supermarket shelves by Symington’s.

Other…

The latest Leeds York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce quarterly economic survey shows that overseas markets continue to present opportunities for exporters and that manufacturers are outperforming their service sector counterparts by some distance.

More than half of exporting-manufacturers are experiencing an increase in overseas sales and orders, according to the survey, and the majority of the sector’s growth is coming from international trade. Service sector exporters reported…

The verdict is still out on the prospects for the UK economy, according to Andrew Cook, chairman of William Cook Holdings, interviewed this week in the Yorkshire Post. But he is confident about the future for the family-owned steel castings manufacturer, which is investing £5 million in its Leeds site and expects to create up to 150 skilled jobs across the group this year.

Cook says the new…

Following a turbulent few months, funding has finally been secured which will enable the Manufacturing Advisory Service Yorkshire & Humber (MAS Y&H) to continue to play a vital role in supporting the region’s small and medium-sized manufacturers.

MAS Y&H provides hands-on advice and support to manufacturing businesses to improve productivity and efficiency. It is jointly funded by Yorkshire Forward and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and is…

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Suddenly, everyone is listening to the region’s manufacturers. FT’s manufacturing editor Peter Marsh was recently in Leeds, meeting over dinner with a group of manufacturers to find out more about how the sector is performing and the key issues it is facing. Before that representatives of the sector had been invited to meet the ‘shadow monetary policy committee’, a group of Yorkshire-based opinion formers who meet every month to talk economics…

A new guide to sources of finance available to help grow your business has been published by Leeds, York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce. According to Gary Williamson, the chamber’s chief executive, businesses across Yorkshire are optimistic about the year ahead but are unsure where to go to raise finance.

“With so many different providers, it can be a minefield for busy business owners and managers. We…

The role of sourcing from local manufacturers in the region’s recovery has been highlighted at a meeting of the CBI, the Chamber of Commerce and business advisory firm Deloitte.

“Never before has there been more reason to buy British and from within the region. The growth of the economy and future job creation could be given a massive boost by even a small increase in the percentage of goods…