FUTURE TRANSPORTATION NOVEMBER /DECEMBER 2020
TRAINS, PLANES
AND AUTOMOBILES
The West Midlands is establishing itself as the UK’s
hotbed for the future of mobility – from hydrogenpowered
trains to an entirely driverless road network
BY CHRIS BECK
Since MM’s last look at
the West Midlands in
September last year
(https://bit.ly/32CxdbS),
the region has
fought off COVID-19
pressures to develop more
cutting-edge technologies in
the world of future mobility.
The UK’s fi rst Future
Mobility Zone, the region’s
proposition to kickstart
innovation in new mobility
solutions, was offi cially
launched in the region in
December 2019. It positions
the West Midlands as a centre
for investment and innovation
in new technologies – from
battery manufacturing to
autonomous vehicles.
The pandemic has thrown up
a number of challenges, but also
a host of opportunities to build
a greener, more sustainable
and more connected Britain.
Many manufacturers in the
region are now collaborating
on the next generation of
transport technologies, putting
the region and the UK on
the map for a post-COVID
world, where cleaner, greener,
mobility solutions will be more
important than ever before.
Recharging the region
In June 2020, the West
Midlands Combined Authority
launched a £3.2 billion blueprint
for recovering the region’s
economy, in response to the
coronavirus pandemic.
The proposal identifi es a
number of ways the region –
led by its manufacturers – can
help both the local and national
economy bounce back. At the
heart of the 24-page document
is a drive for over 50,000 ‘green’
manufacturing jobs as part of a
£614 million investment.
Of this, a quarter of a billion
pounds is to go towards a new
battery Gigafactory. The West
Midlands’ history of automotive
manufacturing makes it the
ideal place for such a site. It
is hoped that the project will
create over 10,000 green jobs
in the region, as well as over
29,000 short-term jobs in
construction.
Funds are also set to be
directed towards ‘Operation
Paperclip’, a £65 million
investment in R&D for
automotive and aerospace
companies to retain as many
as 5,500 highly skilled staff
engaging in strategically
important R&D activities.
Commenting on the
importance of the region to
the wider prosperity of the UK,
Councillor Ian Brookfi eld, West
Midlands Combined Authority
(WMCA) portfolio holder for
the economy and leader of
the City of Wolverhampton
Council, called on Westminster
to off er its support.
“For our economy to
recover quickly and thrive
in the long-term, we need
government to help us improve
our infrastructure,” he said.
“We’ve seen enormous changes
to how people live, work and
move around, and now is the
The West Midlands is the UK’s bestconnected
WOLVERHAMPTON
region in terms of roads
WALSALL
HS2 will create up to 20,000 new
jobs, many in the West Midlands
DUDLEY
SANDWELL
Over 12.5 million
passengers used
Birmingham
Airport in 2019
time to invest in our people and
digital, housing, and transport
infrastructure. This immediate
economic injection will help
communities now and pay
dividends for generations by
avoiding the risks of long-term scarring to those
who risk being left behind, highlighted by experts
including the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
“Our clear, credible recovery plan will deliver
for businesses, the economy, the environment and
most of all for everyone who lives or works in the
WMCA area.”
Getting on track
To this end, the Department for International
Trade has recognised the West Midlands as
a nationally signifi cant location for two of
the world’s essential industries of the future
– including future mobility. Birmingham and
Solihull have been exclusively selected as the UK’s
top destination for opportunities in Data-Driven
11,000
manufacturing
fi rms are based
in the region
304,000
people are
employed in
manufacturing
10.3%
of the region’s
workforce are
employed in the
sector
24 www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk
UAV4/ stock.adobe.com
Wirestock / stock.adobe.com
Anthony Brown / stock.adobe.com
/32CxdbS)
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk
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