A DROITWICH firm has been hailed for making a move in the right direction to dispel some of the gloom surrounding MG Rover.

Chess Plastics, which employs more than 80 people at its base on the Berry Hill Industrial Estate, has been held up as an example how a county manufacturer can thrive in the current climate.

The firm once supplied solely to the automotive industry, including Rover, but moved into other sectors to secure its future.

It now also provides a range of solutions to the building products and white goods sectors and has recently been involved in the development of "pinshot", a computerised golf aid endorsed by Nick Faldo.

Director Gareth Olden said other companies could do the same.

"Automotive work now only accounts for about 30 per cent of our overall production," he said.

"It makes sense to move into a wide range of markets and have your finger in a number of pies.

"There are opportunities out there for Midland manufacturers - you just have to look for them."

Chess was among the army of exhibitors at Midlands Manufacturing 2005 this week, which was attended by more than 8,000 possible customers.

The company held its store in a special zone for local suppliers set up by "Made in the West Midlands", a partnership of Accelerate, Advantage West Midlands, and the Technology Innovation Centre.

Rachel Eade, Accelerate programme manager and the driving force behind the Made in the West Midlands brand, believes others can follow Chess's approach.

"Applying existing expertise to new applications is the only way that manufacturers can continue to grow and this is going to be extremely relevant in light of the current MG Rover crisis," she said.

"The mood at the show was fairly optimistic and, if some of the companies there were anything to go by, there was a great determination to not only survive, but to penetrate new markets.

"Diversification, in a nutshell, has got to be the way forward."