Over £2.2 million of grants have been awarded to businesses throughout the West Midlands over the last three years as part of Made Smarter West Midlands – and the Labour government has been urged by a leading business figure to continue growing the programme throughout the UK.
Made Smarter is a national business support programme backed by the previous government which encourages manufacturing and engineering businesses to adopt digital technology to boost their productivity.
The Conservatives had committed to expanding the Made Smarter Adoption Programme to all nine English regions in 2025-26 before launching in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland from 2026-27.
A total of 635 manufacturing and engineering businesses had registered with the programme in the West Midlands since it began in 2021 and up to April 2024.
This includes 180 from Coventry and Warwickshire, 168 from Greater Birmingham & Solihull, 104 from the Black Country, 87 from the Marches, 54 from Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, and 42 from Worcestershire.
These figures have been revealed in the SmartRegion report which contains findings from research and engagements contributed by the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub, Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council, and other local and national business support organisations.
Made Smarter West Midlands – which has been nominated for the Manufacturing Innovation Champion of the Year Award – has generated more than £158m in GVA which highlights increased productivity as SMEs have gained access to technology advice, leadership, and skills training, as well as grant funding for digital internships and technology projects.
Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub leads the Made Smarter West Midlands scheme with the Growth Hubs in Worcestershire, the Marches, and Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire, on behalf of Business Growth West Midlands, the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Department for Business and Trade, and works with strategic partners WMG, at the University of Warwick, and the MTC to introduce digital technologies in businesses.
Onur Eren, Principal Engineer for Digital Manufacturing at WMG, University of Warwick, said they have helped around 200 manufacturing and engineering SMEs kick-start and implement their digital transformation journeys.
He said: “The impact of the Made Smarter West Midlands programme cannot be understated. We have helped create hundreds of jobs and upskilled many existing roles, empowering the workforce with advanced digital competencies.
“Additionally, we have witnessed substantial improvements in operational efficiency and successfully solved critical business problems with the help of innovative digital tools.
“Made Smarter support has ensured that manufacturing businesses can leverage the full potential of digital technologies, setting a new benchmark for digital excellence to continue in our region.”
Craig Humphrey, Chief Executive at Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub, said the results show that Made Smarter West Midlands has effectively become a vital part of the region’s business support ecosystem.
“The Made Smarter programme in the West Midlands has proved a runaway success in driving digital transformation amongst manufacturing and engineering SMEs across the region in recent years,” he said.
“The new Government is urged to deliver on the commitment to continue with the roll-out of Made Smarter nationally, to ensure it builds on manufacturing competitiveness, innovation, and longer-term growth.”