Mayor backs region's businesses to go for global growth at export roadshow

Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker, has joined small businesses from across the region at a roadshow being held in Birmingham today (Thursday 15 May) to help them to take advantage of the recent trade deals with India and US and other export opportunities.

With growing the economy one of the mayor's top priorities, the Made in the UK, Sold to the World roadshow at the ICC is offering tailored government support to get more SMEs exporting across the advanced manufacturing sector.

The ambition is to channel support to sectors with the highest potential to create jobs, boost productivity and grow the economy.

The roadshow was held as the Mayor announced new funding to continue the successful Exporting Starts Here programme for businesses across the region and delivered through Business Growth West Midlands and the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce. 

The Mayor said: “Creating jobs and growing our economy is my top priority. That’s why over the past I have helped 125 ambitious local businesses to boost their exports and secure international contracts.

“Our region is already delivering world-class products to markets across the globe. From the cars built in Solihull and Coventry, to the aerospace parts engineered in Wolverhampton and the Black Country.

“This roadshow is about backing even more businesses so they can seize fresh opportunities to sell to the world’s biggest and fastest-growing markets and make the most of the new trade deals with the US and India.

“Let’s show the world that the West Midlands is open for business.”

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker and Gareth Thomas, Minister for Small Businesses and Exports, at the Made in the UK, Sold to the World export roadshow in Birmingham.

At the roadshow SMEs were directly connecting with commercial officers, international buyers, export champions and International Trade Advisers (ITAs) to get advice, support, and discuss real export opportunities, through one-to-one meetings to help them start up, scale up and succeed.

The commercial officers and international buyers present at the event span 10 markets across the world, from the USA to China and Spain.

There will be a showcase zone at the roadshow where 20 exhibitors, mostly SMEs, will be displaying their products, which cover a wide range of advanced manufacturing sub-sectors from 3D printing of jewellery and copper piping to an electric truck and aero engine parts.  

Gareth Thomas, Minister for Small Businesses and Exports, said: “From production machinery to compound semiconductors and construction equipment, advanced manufacturing is key to this Government’s export ambitions.

“Our modern Industrial Strategy will maximise opportunities in this key growth sector and create good jobs with high wages, raise productivity and boost the economy in the West Midlands and beyond.”

The West Midlands is a leader in the Advanced Manufacturing sector, home to major players across the aerospace, automotive, agri-tech, and batteries sectors, and hosting multiple prominent manufacturing companies like JLR and Aston Martin.

But Advanced Manufacturing is also a national strength with the UK exporting a whopping £33 billion of automotive products, £33 billion of mechanical power generators and £13 billion of Aerospace products last year alone.

Among others on hand to offer expert advice at the event were Export Champion Rob Lawton, who is the International Sales Director at Coventry-based Lawton Tubes. With Government help, the company recently won an export contract worth a projected £43 million over five years with a Saudi business.

Also present will be Export Champion and CEO of Birmingham-based business Brandauer, Rowan Crozier MBE. The business specialises in manufacturing precision metal components for a range of industry. Brandauer recently won a significant export contract with an Egyptian business worth approximately £4 million to supply more than 10 million parts annually to be assembled into a six-blade disposable razor assembly.

Robert Lawton, International Sales Director at Lawton Tubes, said: “Lawton Tubes has had the full support of the British Government whether it’s been on the networking side of trade deals to the all-important back-office support tailoring contracts and finance.

“Even seasoned exporters that we are, we still pulled on the UK civil servants whether in UK or in Saudi. We can’t thank them enough for their ongoing support even when sometimes it’s a little bit of a rush. The resource available in the UK Gov is quite often unstated.”

Rowan Crozier MBE, CEO of Brandauer, said: “Brandauer’s rich history in precision is borne from our ability to export. We are thrilled to announce our recent export win at this event, a contract that recognises our unique capability to work with customers to design a product for manufacture. We will break the 1 billion parts per annum barrier with this good news!”

Details about the West Midlands Exporting Starts Here programme is available on the Business Growth West Midlands website.