Automotive businesses gear up for change

David Shepherd, Drive Midlands

Drive Midlands, which supports and promotes the local automotive industry, is launching a programme called Gearing up for Change, aimed at the supply chain in the area, by offering ideas and advice on how companies in the automotive supply chain can address important issues.

The automotive industry supply chain is a huge part of the local economy, with over 1300 companies involved, including 35 of the industry’s top 50 global suppliers. Alongside Poland and Turkey, the West Midlands is the top global destination for automotive direct foreign investment.

David Shepherd, senior business development manager at Drive Midlands, emphasised the importance of this sector to the regional economy when he said:”The Midlands remains one of the strongest automotive hubs in the world, and the growth of this sector is vital for our economy – both within the Midlands and for the UK as a whole.”

Dr Simon Farrell, chair of the Automotive Council Skills Working Group, added:”It is vital to the future of our automotive sector that businesses take the opportunity to join together and explore practical solutions to the challenges they are facing. Bringing te public and private sectors together, with academia and other industry experts, will help to pinpoint how this region can remain internationally competitive in the face of considerable change.”

Shepherd added: “There is a gap in the region for a solely automotive support organisation that can equip automotive firms with the tolls and knowledge to help them develop and grow. A rapidly changing landscape, made even faster with Brexit, is creating opportunities but also uncertainty. This new partnership has been designed to help any automotive company to recognise how they can address and and overcome practical day-to-day issues, from funding to recruitment to international trade.”

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