Research carried out by not-for-profit small business support group the Forum of Private Business found sales and marketing strategy is a priority for over one in five (26.1%) smaller firms in the engineering industry.
The second most common priority among small engineering firms was operations management, highlighted as an issue by 14.6% of respondents. HR-related issues, such as recruitment, training and employment law, were the third (13.4%).
Forum Chief Executive Phil Orford said: "Getting sales and marketing right is crucial for small engineering companies – especially as they are acknowledged as one of the main sectors to lead the country to a sustainable private sector recovery.
"However, marketing often falls outside the skill-set of many small business owners in the industry, leaving them unsure about how best to increase sales and grow. Similarly, owners of engineering companies can't be expected to be experts in the ins and outs of employment law or the criteria banks use when assessing a firm's viability for lending, so it's perhaps not surprising that these also emerged as concerns.
The Forum, a not-for-profit organisation which was established in 1977, also helps its members manage employees and comply with workplace law through services including a HR telephone helpline, an Employment Guide and downloadable HR templates.
One small engineering company which has benefitted from Forum membership is Delta Design Systems Ltd.
The highly successful Essex-based company was recently supported by the Forum in its efforts to secure bank lending to fund a multi-million pound contract to build power stations in Iraq, with the result that Conservative MP Brian Binley has taken up Delta Design's case at the Government's Business, Innovation and Skills Committee.
Kay Harris, Delta's Head of Marketing, said: "Forum membership has enabled us to gain access to much-needed resources via the Forum's networking and knowledge of issues facing business in the UK – especially with gaining and retaining financial support in very trying times.
"We find the Forum's helpline and guidance booklets very useful and informative – they are presented in a comprehensive and user-friendly manner, and fully backed-up with newsletters and emails alerts."
She added: "The Forum's ethos and objectives are, we feel, the very cornerstone that businesses in the UK need."
The Forum's research into small engineering companies reflects similar research the organization recently carried out into SMEs in the manufacturing industry.
Sales and marketing, operations management and HR were also the top three priorities of smaller manufacturers surveyed earlier in the year.
