SMEs from across the country have been benefiting from our industrial marketing expertise, through the Make UK Defence Fit For Defence programme.
Over the past three years, we have been delivering free health checks to engineering and manufacturing companies who are entering the defence sector – or who’ve needed to re-energise their marketing for this industry.
The Fit for Defence programme is a bespoke business improvement programme for organisations of all sizes and experience in the sector. Through the programme, Make UK Defence’s specialists and partners assess an organisation’s strengths and weaknesses and develop a bespoke action plan to maximise its future growth.
Among the Fit for Defence partners are experts in areas such as marketing and communications, law, IP, bidding, HR, social values, project management, security, energy, health and safety, and export.
Our work as a Fit for Defence partner includes taking a ‘deep dive’ into a member’s marketing, analysing strategy and tactics across multiple channels, and creating a report filled with actionable short and long-term recommendations.
We’ve given Make UK Defence members a fresh perspective on their brands, messaging, content, websites, social media, SEO, PR and assets, and helped SMEs to reshape their marketing for the defence sector.
Among the companies we have supported are: Oxfordshire-based Polar Technology, an engineering business specialising in composite and metallic technology; Sheffield-based advanced manufacturing supplier AML; and Thirsk-headquartered fabric and structural engineering company Power Plastics.
George Brown, Marketing and Communications Specialist at Polar Technology, said: “We connected with Horizon Works through the Make UK Defence Fit for Defence programme. With our strategic expansion into the defence market, we required some specialist advice on our messaging and offering for the sector.
“Horizon Works completed a comprehensive health check of our website and other promotional channels and presented us with valuable findings and recommendations.”
Alex Cotton, Research and Development Manager at AML, said: “I was pleasantly surprised by the level of insight and detail that Horizon Works went into during our marketing deep dive.
“This deep dive has completely changed our attitude towards marketing and kicked us into action. I would fully recommend using Horizon Works to any organisation – its knowledge and expertise would be useful to businesses of all sizes.”
Simon Price, Director of Power Plastics, said: “As a new member of Make UK Defence, we were offered a ‘Marketing Health Check’ under their Fit for Defence programme. The team at Horizon Works carried out the health check, focusing on our website, messaging and social media. The subsequent report was enlightening and gave us plenty of food for thought, in terms of improving our defence marketing and general company messaging.”
Commenting on the Fit for Defence programme, Samantha Vassallo, Managing Director of Horizon Works, said: “With a renewed focus on building sovereign capability and the Government committing to boosting MOD spending with SMEs directly – and across the supply chain – by £2.5 billion, manufacturing and engineering SMEs have a major opportunity to integrate into the UK’s defence supply chains.
“The Fit for Defence programme is playing a key role in helping companies seize this opportunity and we’re proud to be part of this initiative – and to be helping Make UK Defence members on their marketing journeys.”
Kelly Maddison, UK Membership Director of Make UK Defence, added: “Horizon Works was one of the first partners that we onboarded as part of our Fit for Defence programme.
“The complimentary marketing review that it offers is thorough and delivered through the lens of marketing experts. The team provide honest feedback which can transform your business. We went through the process a few years back and the advice helped us to make some changes that were instrumental in membership growth. We encourage all members to take advantage of this offer: those who do aren’t disappointed.”
Fit for Defence programme partners include: Abel + Imray; Pera Prometheus Consulting Ltd; Bidcraft; Canny Comms; CDS Defence & Security; Day 1 People; e50k Consultancy; Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP; Inspired Energy; Make UK Environment, Health and Safety Services; Make UK Employment Law & HR Services; Morgan Ryder; Opex; Proelium Law; and STR Group.
For more information on Make UK Defence and the Fit for Defence programme, click here, email defence@makeuk.org or call 0808 168 5874.
If you are a Make UK Defence member and would like support through the Fit for Defence programme, contact your regional membership manager.