THE region is leading the post-pandemic manufacturing boom, according to new analysis from the Manufacturing Technology Centre.
HMRC trade statistics show that manufacturing exports from the West Midlands rose 65 per cent in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period a year earlier, the biggest increase of all the UK regions.
It was followed by the North West and East of England, which saw gains of 62 per cent and 58 per cent respectively.
The national average was 32 per cent.
The West Midlands exported manufactured goods, machinery and transport, and miscellaneous manufactures worth £5.4billion, up from £3.2bn the previous year.
However, the region’s manufacturing sector is yet to bounce back fully from the pandemic, operating at 82 per cent of pre-pandemic exports.
The pandemic has highlighted the UK’s reliance on global supply chains, and the need to reshore manufacturing capabilities.
The Manufacturing Technology Centre is calling on the Government to promote the return of the production of goods back to the UK by bringing development spending in line with research spending in the West Midlands, and across the UK.
This move, it says, will enable the manufacturing sector to raise exports back to pre-pandemic levels, boost the economic recovery and become a manufacturing and scientific superpower once again.
