Fallon pledges full support to Birmingham’s manufacturing sector
BUSINESS Minister Michael Fallon has pledged that the Government is doing everything it can to support Birmingham’s manufacturing sector.
The pledge came as Mr Fallon visited the city to find out how some of the coalition’s initiatives were working in the real world.
His first stop was at Cadbury where he found out if a new deal to cut red tape for Kraft subsidiary, Mondelez International – owner of the Cadbury brand, was helping to reduce duplication and costs while maintaining high safety standards.
The deal, known as a primary authority partnership, means Birmingham City Council can provide advice to all of Mondelez International’s UK sites on regulations including food safety and hygiene.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said the scheme had already led to Mondelez International cutting £250,000 in packaging costs alone.
Mr Fallon also visited Quality Plated Products in Great Barr, which is one of the recipients of cash from the government’s Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative.
QPP, which received £245,000 from the £125m fund, uses a unique technology to supply metal plated plastic to the automotive industry. The funding has enabled the firm to increase capacity, creating an additional 11 jobs and starting a new apprenticeship scheme.
Mr Fallon also visited Rolls-Royce owned Aero Engine Controls, which is investing £60m to relocate 1,200 high tech jobs from Hall Green to new purpose-built facilities at Birmingham Business Park.
He also spoke with representatives of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership to discuss its strategy for growth. The LEP is also taking the lead on the government-supported pilot scheme Greater Birmingham Project, which aims to shows how Lord Heseltine’s proposals for devolving powers to the region could work in practice.
“Birmingham has long been an engine of the country’s economy, and my tour around the city has shown that’s certainly the case today,” said Mr Fallon.
“The government is doing all it can to support the West Midlands; whether that’s direct support through our Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative to companies like QPP, rolling out ultra fast broadband, or helping household names like Cadbury by reducing the amount of red tape they have to deal with.
“By taking clear and decisive action and giving direct help to companies and regions they can realise their growth potential and compete in the global economy.”
