Business Secretary sees manufacturers investing at MACH 2014

About £146m of business was attributed to the 2012 show and, with attendance running 15% up on that year, hopes are high that the figure will be smashed.

Mark Ridgway OBE, president of the MTA and managing director of Group Rhodes said: "It was great to welcome Dr Cable to MACH 2014 especially in the light of the recent uprating of the Annual Investment Allowance, something for which the MTA has been pressing. Engineering based manufacturing is on the up in the UK and that has really been evident at MACH this year.”

Vince Cable said: "MACH provided a good opportunity to see for myself the latest advances in manufacturing technology and meet the people behind them.

"If the manufacturing renaissance is to endure, the Government needs to give business the confidence to invest which is what we are doing through our Industrial Strategy.”

Dr Cable used the high profile platform of MACH 2014 to launch the latest round of the Government’s flagship AMSCI Programme which will see a further £100m committed to helping UK supply chains compete globally.

In addition, Dr Cable met industry figures to discuss issues including: investment, skills, Europe and the problems that SMEs can experience in obtaining bank funding for growth projects.