Leading Black Country businesses share their insight with SMEs to promote innovation

SOME of the Black Country’s biggest businesses are to share their expertise with SMEs in the area to help them improve their innovation and competitiveness.

The Wolverhampton Business Champions Innovation Series, organised by the Wolverhampton Business Champions and University of Wolverhampton, is backed by a series of high profile local companies.

Companies including Marston’s, Caparo, Moog, UTC Aerospace Systems, Carvers and Wolverhampton Wanderers will give presentations showing that large budgets or research and development facilities are not always necessary to achieve outstanding results.

The events will be spread over a period of six months, with the first taking place on October 17 and featuring Richard Westwood, managing director of Marston’s Beer and Pub Company.

Westwood will talk about Fastcask, a revolutionary brewing process that has enabled Marston’s to gain competitive advantage and become a market leader. The presentation will allow businesses to discover how process innovation has shaped the future of an entire industry.  There will also be an opportunity to sample some Fastcask free of charge.

In November, John Wood, of Caparo will discuss how businesses can save costs by reducing energy consumption, then in January, Richard Tamplin, of Moog Engineering will talk about the techniques used in new product development. The following month will see UTC’s Adam Amadeo discuss computer-aided engineering.

Wolverhampton Wanderers communications chief, Matt Grayson, will be the speaker in March, highlighting the vast array of opportunities that exist within social media.
The series ends in April with Henry Carver, managing director of Carvers, who will speak on the innovation built into his new premises following a devastating fire in 2012.

Each event is free of charge and will be held in the evening at the University of Wolverhampton Science Park. University staff will also be available to identify support programmes to help businesses realise their own innovation.

Phillip Barnett, of Marston’s and current Chair of the Business Champions, said: “This is a fantastic series of presentations from some of Wolverhampton’s largest strategic businesses. All of the companies involved are absolutely delighted to get behind this initiative to put something back in to the Wolverhampton business community.

“I do hope that people will make the effort to come to as many of the presentations as possible and hear from some truly global enterprises about how important innovation is to the future of any business regardless of size or turnover.”