A new consortium is aiming to strengthen and diversify supply chains in the West Midlands, helping SMEs recover from recent disruptions, including the cyber-attacks affecting regional OEMs.
C&W Business Solutions, part of CW Growth Hub Group, is leading the Supply Smarter West Midlands Consortium, a partnership including the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), WMG at the University of Warwick, and the West Midlands Combined Universities which comprises Coventry University, Birmingham City University, and the University of Wolverhampton.
The £12.5 million investment from the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Investment Zone Supply Chains Transition Programme aims to future-proof the region’s manufacturing base by helping hundreds of SMEs pivot into six high-growth clusters.
These fast-growing clusters are aerospace, manufacturing of electrical light vehicles and associated battery storage devices, manufacturing of future housing and other green industries, med-tech and health-tech, smart energy systems, and underpinning digital capabilities.
Growth in these sectors is already building momentum and will be assisted by the Investment Zone’s three key sites in Coventry and Warwick, Birmingham, and Wolverhampton, the Mayor’s West Midlands Growth Plan and the government’s Industrial Strategy.
The programme will deliver a high-impact support package that includes providing eligible manufacturing SMEs based in the region with an audit to assess their existing capacity and capability, intensive one-to-one technical advice and guidance, access to research and development grants worth up to ÂŁ200,000, and leadership and management training.
Craig Humphrey, CEO of C&W Business Solutions, said the programme is timely with many SMEs facing cashflow problems as Jaguar Land Rover has resumed production following September’s cyber-attack.
“This programme is being launched at a vital time for many SMEs facing challenges in traditional manufacturing which have been highlighted by the shutdown at Jaguar Land Rover, but this is not just for the Jaguar Land Rover supply chain, this is to keep the region at the cutting-edge of manufacturing as it enters a new era,” he said.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Manufacturing is still the beating heart of the West Midlands economy, it’s in our DNA. But we’re ever evolving as technology transforms what we make and how we make it.
“It’s essential to modernise production, upskill our workforce, and support business leaders with the training, funding, and guidance they need to be at the cutting-edge of 21st century clean and high-tech industries.
“Opportunities are coming in this new era for manufacturing. And we’re making sure businesses and local people are ready to seize the moment so we can protect and create more high-quality jobs. This is a chance to reclaim our status as the workshop of the world.”
https://www.businessgrowthwestmidlands.org.uk/support-programmes/supply-chain-transition/
Caption: West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker