Leading manufacturers gather at MTC for Commons’ committee session

THE Manufacturing Technology Centre has been chosen as the venue for an important inquiry into the future of the Government’s industrial strategy.

The Ansty Park facility will host a session of the Commons’ Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee (BEIS) on Thursday.

Leading figures from business, local government, academia and manufacturing will sit before the panel of 11 MPs to hear evidence as part of the inquiry.

The session, which is being streamed live on Parliament TV, has been brought to the West Midlands in recognition of the region’s strong industrial and manufacturing base.

The event also helps to position the MTC on a national footing.

Witnesses will include Hamid Mughal, director of global manufacturing at Rolls-Royce, Andy Palmer, chief executive of Aston Martin, and Tony Burke, assistant general secretary for manufacturing at the Unite trade union.
 
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, West Midlands Combined Authority, Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Aston Business School and the Warwick Manufacturing Group will also be represented.
 
The committee will comprise three panels which will focus on Catapult centres and advanced manufacturing; Local Enterprise Partnerships and Combined Authorities; and lessons from the automotive sector.
 
Following the session, the committee members will be given a tour of the MTC to demonstrate some of the new technologies being developed there.
 
BEIS chair Iain Wright said: “The BEIS Committee is delighted to be holding a public evidence session at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, a world-class facility which drives industrial innovation and growth by bringing together academics and industry to develop new technologies and equip young people with skills in engineering.
 
“A competitive manufacturing sector and skilled workforce are vital for a well-balanced and prosperous economy. That is why we are keen to hear the views of manufacturers, business leaders, academics and local government on what the Government’s industrial strategy must look like if it is to help the sector, the Midlands and the UK as a whole to thrive.”
 
Chris White, MP for Leamington and Warwick and a member of the BEIS Committee, added: “The Midlands is a centre of manufacturing, skilled workers and world-class research facilities and makes a vital contribution to the UK economy and so I am glad that my Committee colleagues are coming to see first-hand the excellent work that is being done here.
 
“If the Government is to succeed with its forthcoming industrial strategy then it must also listen to and learn from regions such as the Midlands in order to create the conditions for their continued growth.”