LANCASHIRE'S engineering industry has a new champion following the appointment of Walter McKinlay as chief executive of the Engineering Partnership.

Mr McKinlay has a wealth of experience in manufacturing and joins from the National Engineering Laboratory which provides services to the oil and gas, defence and aerospace industries.

He is no stranger to Lancashire and joined Leyland Trucks in 1977 where he was the computer-aided engineering manager in the product development group, responsible for design, testing and manufacturing support. As director and head of consultancy with SI Associates, the consultancy arm of Strathclyde Institute and a centre of excellence for computer-aided manufacturing, he worked for blue chip clients throughout the UK.

Mr McKinlay was also involved with the World Class Manufacturing Programme, a business improvement initiative launched by a consortium of North West TECs, which included a number of Lancashire companies.

Said Mr McKinlay: "I am delighted to have been offered the opportunity to work with Lancashire companies again.

"I look forward to driving forward plans to help Lancashire engineering and manufacturing companies to improve their performance through a range of services on offer through the partnership, so that they can compete nationally and internationally."

The Engineering Partnership in Lancashire has more than 200 member companies, including high profile firms such as BAE Systems, BNFL, Industrial Copolymers and Gilberts.

It gives its members the opportunity to learn about best practice and to gain access to national industry expertise. Companies can also take advantage of networking opportunities and access funding for training and business improvement projects.