It was founded by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI, which became BERR in 2007) in April 2002. It was split into regions and was aimed at SMEs to offer technical and strategic advice. The regional offices were titled Regional Centres of Manufacturing Excellence. There was also co-operation with trade associations, research councils and university departments. In the first year the MAS had on average improved companies productivity by 30%, reduced waste by 37%, and increased inventory turnover by 90%. It had been launched with £27 million funding for three years. (50% Government and 50% Regional) The concept for MAS was based on US model the Manufacturing Extension Programme (MEP). A DTI official who had seen the programme in US brought the model back and developed it for the UK.
