Businesses in Coventry and
Warwickshire affected by BMW’s decision to sell Rover are being
invited to a special meeting to discuss the way forward.
The discussion is being hosted
by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber, who recently ran a survey to
find out how many firms would be hit by the sale.
More than 200 companies out of
600 contacted said they were affected by the sell-off and its knock-on
effect in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Over a fifth of these asked
for immediate help and have been given advice by experts from the
Chamber.
Next week’s meeting, at the
Oak Tree Conference Centre in Binley Business Park, Harry Weston Road,
is being held for firms to find out what to do next.
David McGrath, managing
director of Link Support Services UK Ltd, will be helping companies
see where their futures lie.
Mr McGrath, who has spent
three years working on programmes to help manufacturing companies
unlock their potential, said:
“This is an ideal
opportunity for companies affected to see what short and long-term
support is available.
“The Chamber is acting as
both a conduit and a catalyst of important support to companies
within the automotive manufacturing industry who require help.”
Concerns already raised by
individuals affected by the sell-off include: immediate redundancies,
ensuring training and re-training needs are met, keeping the high
skill-base of workers.
Firms said they were worried
about the immediate financial implications, their cash-flow, the
long-term need to diversify operations and identify new markets and
taking e-business on board.
More information about the
meeting, which is on 18 April at 5pm, from Elena Zivinsky on 024 7665
4102.
There is advice available from
the Rover Taskforce hotline on 0800 783 6414 between 8am and 6pm
Monday to Friday, and further details about help from the Chamber at www.cw-chamber.co.uk