"The partnership approach to economic development," is how Jim Anderton is describing an Industry New Zealand grant to an Auckland company.

Metal Skills started out in 1996 as small sheetmetal workshop.

Today the Economic Development Minister presented the company with the grant which is aimed at helping it to become a significant export earner.

Based in East Tamaki, Metal Skills manufactures high quality components in small and medium production runs.

It's receiving a $37,500 grant to help it achieve growth of 40 staff and an extra $5 million in sales over the next two years. Most of those sales are to export markets including the UK and the US.

Jim Anderton says the company is an example of the partnership the Government can provide to produce more jobs and export earnings for New Zealanders.

"Metal Skills is ready to grow. But it could be held back because it's run by engineers – not marketers and strategic planners with experience in running a multi-million dollar business.

"Industry New Zealand is helping them to develop strategic plans and new production systems as well as to improve management skills.

"The Government stands to recover its invetsment many times over as the company grows, in extra jobs and boosted exports earnings.

"Our economy urgently needs to develop more firms which export complex manufactured products. We need to broaden and deepen the export base. This is one example of how we can do it," Jim Anderton said.

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