The West Midlands is without doubt the centre of the UK transport industry, with expertise in automotive, aerospace, motorsport and rail technologies. We have a wealth of experience and dedication in this sector and strive to push forward the barriers of transport technologies innovation. This is why some of the largest transport manufacturers in the world have our region as the base for their operations.

Sector Strengths:

• Peugeot, Land Rover and Jaguar all have their UK headquarters and major vehicle assembly facilities in the region
• 18 of the top 20 automotive component suppliers in the world have a base in our region.
• Home to Europe ’s leading independent automotive research centre, MIRA, with test tracks and labs used by over 800 companies
• Over a third of all cars produced in the UK are made in Birmingham or Coventry.
• Aerospace companies based in the region include Goodrich, Smiths Aerospace, MS Marston Aerospace and Roxel Rocket Motors
• Both Coventry University and Birmingham University are founder members of the Association of Aerospace Universities.
• The West Midlands , and the county of Warwickshire in particular, is home to the UK ’s motorsport industry, known as Motorsport Valley
• The University of Birmingham’s Railway Research Centre works with the industry towards innovative practices in rail throughout the country.

A heritage of manufacturing and proven track-record of visionary technology has made the West Midlands a region that stimulates excellence in transport technologies. Known globally as the home of manufacturing and engineering the region gives our companies the advantage when it comes to showing the rest of the world what inventiveness really means.

International Transport Services: Ireland

Ireland is also a major gateway for logistics and there are a number of top freight companies, freight exchange providers that have set up due to the business tax incentives. One east european transport provider, www.logintrans.ie has come up with a centralised database of freight companies and customers that allows you to match loads to available space on vehicles.  The benefits is basic economics – sharing lorries, trucks for forward and return loads saves on fuel costs and logistic expenses for the delivery service, that is passed on to the supplier. All round a cost effective solution for transport haulage companies.

The West Midlands is one of the major telecommunications centres in the UK. Companies and organisations have immediate access to the most advanced communications networks in Europe.

Innovative information and communications technology is the lifeblood of the region and the backbone to its entrepreneurial success. The same inventive spirit that confirmed the West Midlands as the heart of manufacturing has now established the region as home to communications excellence.

You might be surprised to discover some of the following facts.

• There are over 100 companies either involved in the manufacture of telecoms equipment or engaged in the provision of voice and/or data communications.
• Service providers in the region include BT, Cable & Wireless, Telewest, NTL, Thus, Norweb Telecom, Energis.
• Network technology has been engineered to allow for the demands of today’s businesses who depend on communications technology, whether they are based in the centre of Coventry or the rural heart of Herefordshire.
• Network capacity is currently utilized at around 50%.
• The Remote Area BroadBand Inclusion Trial (RABBIT) aims to find alternative ways of providing broadband access to small businesses in rural areas.
• The CW2000 initiative helps small businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire with the use of broadband technology.
• Several Business Parks within the West Midlands are designated BTeLocations

The communications infrastructure in our region combines cutting-edge technology with dynamic and relevant support that both sustains and stimulates the success rates of our business community. Crucially, our inclusive approach aims to provide these vital communications links to businesses wherever they area rural or metropolitan. And whoever they are – big or small.

The West Midlands Region has the right connections for business. Located at the heart of the UK’s transport networks, the region’s central location means that we are the gateway to national, European and global markets. Our business community has built on these robust foundations to form a network of some of the most innovative and successful companies in the UK.

This is just part of the story.

• The West Midlands has more motorways than any other UK region. 75% of the UK is within a five hour drive!
• At the centre of the UK’s rail network, Birmingham New Street Station is the country’s main national rail interchange, boasting 88 daily rail journeys to and from London every 30 minutes.
• Birmingham International Airport is the UK’s 5th largest airport offering daily, direct scheduled flights to 65 destinations in Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East.
• Coventry Airport also runs low cost scheduled flights to 17 destinations throughout Europe, Eire and the UK.
• The Channel Tunnel freight terminal at Hams Hall provides direct access to the mainland European rail network.
• The region has one of the most advanced telecommunications network in Europe.

Our central position and rapid links to home and overseas markets make the West Midlands a region that attracts the cream of commercial excellence. We have built on our geographic good fortune to become the most diverse and well connected business centre in the country.

The region has a buoyant high technology base. And great emphasis has been placed on allowing our technology community to retain its international edge. Three “technology corridors” have been established to build on and nurture the existing regional technology strengths in targeted key industries.

Three hotspots provide real opportunities.

Central Technology Belt

• The Central Technology Belt is the ideal location for organisations active in the areas of medical technologies, nanotechnology, materials engineering and environmental technologies.
• It runs from central Birmingham, into north Worcestershire.
• The three Science Parks within the Belt – Aston Science Park, Birmingham Research Park and Malvern Hills Science Park – provide incubator units to nurture emerging and growing businesses.

The Coventry, Solihull, Warwickshire Triangle

• The triangle has specialisms across the areas of ICT, motorsport, product engineering and design and medical technologies.
• Design support is available to assist design based companies to access the high level skills in the two Universities.
• Early stage risk finance and professional support is available to accelerate good ICT start up businesses.

Wolverhampton Telford Technology Corridor

• The University of Wolverhampton’s IT Futures Centre will provide advice, consultancy, guidance and high level training to assist businesses.
• Creative media enterprises will feature in a Creative Industries Centre at the Wolverhampton Science Park.
• The E-innovations Centre, a business incubator unit for e-business, e-learning and ICT start up enterprises, is currently being built at the University of Wolverhampton’s Telford Campus.
• The Polymer Cluster has been established in Telford to provide access to a package of support and collaborative opportunities for companies in and related to the polymer industry in the West Midlands.
• The Advanced Engineering Cluster can provide packages of free practical support and collaborative opportunities to small and medium sized enterprises in the engineering industries in the West Midlands Region.

The region’s commercial property landscape is both vast and varied. The diversity of our property solutions enables us to meet the high expectations of our broad-based business community. What’s more, our position at the heart of the UK puts us at the centre of the nation’s transport, communications and operational networks.

As you can see, the advantages we offer are numerous.

• Although it is the UK’s second city, Birmingham’s prime office space is up to 40% cheaper than in London
• Herefordshire is home to more than 7,000 businesses, including HP Bulmer and Sun Valley Foods. There is currently 50 hectares of land currently available for commercial development
• We have a number of key strategic locations, regeneration zones and technology corridors, where businesses are eligible for targeted support and funding – such as Selective Finance for Investment
• Coventry is home to one of the UK’s largest leisure schemes currently under construction. The Ricoh Arena will house a 32,000 seat stadium for Coventry City FC, and will provide a concert arena and exhibition hall
• Parts of the region attract European and UK Government funding to support new commercial developments
• Our universities offer cutting edge facilities at 8 science parks. These are: Coventry University Technology Centre, Wolverhampton Science Park, University of Warwick Science Park, Keele Science Park, Malvern Hills Science Park, Aston Science Park, Staffordshire Technology Park, University of Birmingham Research Park
• Serviced Apartments

The West Midlands is a dynamic, multicultural region. At its heart is the capital city, Birmingham, an international meeting place, with world class sporting, conference and exhibition venues, luxury hotels, and restaurants as well as Europe’s leading shopping centre, the BullRing. This contrasts with the predominantly rural west of the region that includes the beautiful countryside of the Malvern Hills; Herefordshire and Shropshire Marches; and parts of the Peak District,the Cotswolds and the National Forest. There are outstanding heritage and cultural attractions throughout the region as well as the unique assets of Shakespeare County, the World Heritige Site at Ironbridge, and the NEC.

Sector Strengths:

• We have world-class conference and exhibition venues, such as the National Exhibition Centre the busiest in Europe in terms of number of exhibitions, International Convention Centre, National Indoor Arena,Telford International Centre, Coventry Arena, Stoneleigh Park and Warwick University.
• BullRing, Birmingham has the UK’s most visited shopping centre with more than 36 ½ million visitors to date
• Birmingham International Airport was voted ‘Best Business Terminus’ in the Business Travel World magazine awards 2003
• Alton Towers Theme Park in North Staffordshire is the UK’s most visited paid-for attraction. It has also won Meetings and Incentive Travel’s “Best UK Unusual Venue” for the past three years
• The West Midlands has a wide variety of internationally recognised cultural and arts products include the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford, the Ironbridge World Heritage site, Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Birmingham Royal Ballet, as well as outstanding galleries at Walsall, Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

The West Midlands is fast becoming a focal point for specialised medical technology companies and currently has 700 medical technology companies employing 16,000 people. Attracted by the range of raw materials and components and impressed by a spirit of inventiveness, world-leaders across the sector have chosen our region as the base for their principal operations.

Sector Strengths:

• World renowned companies in the region include Sunrise Medical, Salts Healthcare and Sterilox
• Keele University Science Park provides specially designed hi-spec accommodation for innovative medical technology start-up or spin-out companies from Keele and also offers premier manufacturing space for incoming medical technology companies relocating from the U.K. and aboard
• The University of Birmingham has opened a new Institute of Medical Law in a ground breaking collaboration between the two schools of medicine and law
• The West Midlands provides a unique basis for clinical trials and devices research with approved trial protocols available from the Wellcome Clinical Research
• Fourteen research departments within the region’s universities have attained 5 or 5 star excellence ratings
• We have the most advanced opthalmic surgical centre in the UK – located at the Academy of Life Sciences, Aston University

The West Midlands produces some of the most exciting TV programmes on screen today as well as some of the best computer games around. We have internationally renowned popular, classical and world music performers; Birmingham is also home to the annual International Festival of the Image. These industries are integrating, through digital technology, to produce fresh and engaging content to be enjoyed on-air, on-line and on the move on your mobile.

Sector Strengths:

• The West Midlands screen image and sound industries generate a turnover of £1.4bn
• There are major broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV Central, and newspaper publisher Trinity Mirror based here
• The region is at the centre of the Asian music industry with 80% of UK Bhangra music produced and exported worldwide
• Birmingham’s Custard Factory is home to 500 creative industries and at the heart of a new cultural and learning quarter for the city
• The Rural Media Company has produced more than 250 media projects and received plandits in the Times Educational Supplement for its cutting edge work
• The Creative Industries Centre at Wolverhampton Science Park provides support for entrepreneurs from the creative sector to commercialise their businesses

The West Midlands is a dynamic and thriving region that has cultivated a strong entrepreneurial cluster of ICT companies. A vibrant base of high growth indigenous companies is supported by the region’s major players which include Fujitsu, Oracle, Cap Gemini & SCC.

Groundbreaking work taking place here is setting new standards in research and development. A new Computer Science building at the University of Warwick, for example, has been chosen by IBM as one of only a handful of sites dedicated to the development of a new worldwide computer ‘Grid’.

The region is recognised for its leadership in the developments of new opto-electronic technologies, with key strengths at Aston University which has over 10 years expertise and QinetiQ. The West Midlands has become the central point for the UK Photonics Cluster which offers dedicated laboratories to its members.

Sector Strengths:

• One third of companies are growing at over 20% per annum and over one third export to other European markets. (Source: PwC  Survey Plant Location International, 2002)
• Operating costs in the Coventry, Solihull, Warwickshire Software Triangle are 20% – 25% lower for ICT & Software inward investors compared to the M4 Corridor (Source: PwC  Survey Plant Location International, 2002)
• There are over 57,000 people employed in 3000 ICT businesses in the region
• MBA courses at Aston and Warwick rank as some of the world’s finest, IBM rates Aston as Europe’s best in terms of quality recruits
• The region is home to the UK’s largest computing school,Staffordshire University
• There is readily available business support and potential funding

The West Midlands’ reputation is as a world-renowned centre for the creation of unique consumer products. This is due to the sector’s design-led ethic and imaginative ambition. Our region provides a fertile business environment that both encourages and stimulates the genius of individuals and businesses in this sector. With our niche market products, innovative design and manufacturing processes, and a vision for the future, the Consumer Products industry in the West Midlands is like no other in the world.

Sector Strengths:

• Key regional strengths in the sector lie in Ceramics, Jewellery, Glass, Leather Goods, Clothing, Furniture, and Carpets all of which are exported worldwide
• Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, the largest of its type in UK, has skilled goldsmiths and jewellery makers who manufacture 70% of all jewellery in the UK. (Source:http://jquarter.members.beeb.net/walk5.htm)
• Walsall is home to the British saddle with over 80 equestrian industry companies based here.
• There is a strong concentration of the regions glass companies in Stourbridge
• The clothing industry, based around the Black Country, Birmingham and Coventry, consists of 600 companies employing 11,000 people
• There are 2,100 furniture companies production employing some 22,000 people throughout the region
• We lead in the innovation/contemporary design led products industry