Blog - specialists discuss benefits of the Supply Chain Transition Programme in the West Midlands

The Commonwealth Games Legacy Fund has given the West Midlands the opportunity to launch a number of business and community support initiatives well beyond the period of the Games in 2022.

One of those schemes is the Supply Chain Transition Programme, which is running until March 2025, to help businesses involved in more traditional sectors of the region’s economy to adapt to new technologies and take their transferrable skills into new and growing sectors.

One part of the programme is being delivered for the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Business Growth West Midlands by C&W Business Solutions - part of the CW Growth Hub Group, the Finditin business network, and the West Midlands Growth Company. This will cover Electric Light Vehicles and Very Light Rail.

Two other streams of the programme are being delivered by Midlands Aerospace Alliance, focusing on Aerospace and Space, and WMG at the University of Warwick, will be delivering on Micromobility. 

In this blog, Dimitrios Anagnostakis, Supply Chain Specialist at C&W Business Solutions, and Les Hines, Strategic Relationship Account Manager at the West Midlands Growth Company, outline why local businesses should sign-up to this free programme.

Dimitrios was previously a Digital & Data Consultant for the Energy Systems Catapult and a Research Engineer for the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre; while Les has been Head of Talent Management & Development at Light Source and Associate Director at Jonathan Lee Recruitment.

This part of the Supply Chain Transition Programme is focused on Very Light Rail and electric light vehicles through a mix of intensive support, specialist workshops in November and December, and an exclusive Meet the Buyer event early next year, when there will be an opportunity for programme participants to access 1:1s with buyers.

We are working with small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) to raise awareness of new opportunities and help them diversify – particularly among traditional manufacturing and automotive companies – so that they have the ability to supply parts for the greener transport markets of the future.

We want to develop their understanding of these sectors, pass on knowledge about current and future procurement requirements, and provide information about how to access opportunities to become a future supplier for light vehicle manufacturing – road to rail.

These are amongst the priority sectors which have been identified by the WMCA as part of its strategy for the regional economy’s future growth.

There will also be several on-site visits with key customers and buyers involved in the programme, for SMEs to see first-hand the technology in operation.

This will be a brilliant chance for SMEs to hear about some of the opportunities available as well as develop relationships with potential future customers.

Between us we have a vast range of experience to pass on to SMEs after working in different sectors, and we have seen how manufacturing companies can use digital tools to innovate to adapt and expand into new markets.

We would love to hear from manufacturing SMEs who make traditional materials but may not realise that their processes can be opened up to components that are required in other industries.

One example is a local manufacturer of bathroom accessories that we have spoken to which may seem an irrelevant sector for electric light vehicles, but they have the ability to make different components which are needed for other industries.

Software companies who provide cyber security will have digital expertise that can be utilised in electric light vehicle and Very Light Rail since they have diagnostic experts which everybody needs in that supply chain. These kinds of skills are needed by larger companies as well as SMEs.

Buyers that we have been talking to are looking for new ideas for lighter materials which can be difficult to find because some supply chains are not as forward-thinking, and it can sometimes depend on the size of the business whether they have the capacity to free staff up to look for these growth avenues - so we want to investigate this further to keep up with current demand.

There is also a need to develop new products for Very Light Rail in Coventry, which is creating a light rail system which has the potential to improve air quality and reduce congestion in towns and cities across the world.

This is an emerging sector and it is now looking for materials and components which we’re sure many businesses in the region have the transferrable skills to help with.

Key customers, such as Aurrigo, Watt Electric Vehicles and BSA Company, are getting involved in the Supply Chain Transition Programme to build their local supplier base, which underlines the innovative nature of our region, and emphasises that this is open to all businesses whatever sector they are associated with.

For instance, those involved in the construction industry may think that this programme is not for them but that is not the case because Very Light Rail will require stations to be constructed, and then there is the lighting, signalling, and track technology involved as well.

When we launched the Supply Chain Transition Programme with a Market Education Event in July to introduce the Very Light Rail and electric light vehicle sectors to SMEs across the region, to make them aware of the opportunities available, we were delighted that almost 80 companies signed up to attend.

But we know that so many more SMEs would benefit from being involved so please do get in touch with us at https://www.finditincw.co.uk/business-support/supply-chain-transition-programme to find out how to make the most of this exciting opportunity to diversify your customer base and win new orders