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Made Smarter has launched a £1.9 million digital adoption push to drive growth in West Midlands manufacturing and engineering SMEs and help them boost productivity.

Digital experts will provide advice to manufacturing businesses on how to switch to advanced and automated technologies as well as working to improve employees’ overall digital skills.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Growth Hub is leading the three-year Made Smarter scheme with its fellow Growth Hubs in Greater Birmingham and Solihull, the Black Country, Worcestershire Business Central, The Marches, and Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Who is delivering the Made Smarter adoption programme in the West Midlands?
Register

The Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Growth Hub is leading the three-year Made Smarter scheme with its fellow Growth Hubs in Greater Birmingham and Solihull, the Black Country, Worcestershire Business Central, The Marches, and Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The West Midlands Growth Hubs are working closely with the West Midlands Combined Authority and their strategic partners WMG, at the University of Warwick and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry to tap into the expertise of their digital manufacturing specialists.

Local support for local people
Advice and Support
  • The Growth Hubs will assess each business that applies to ensure they are given the specialist support they need.

  • We will then help local SMEs to develop an action plan for adopting digital technology in their own detailed roadmap, which could involve participating in a leadership training programme or receiving a match-funded grant.

Funding Support
  • Up to 50% match funding (Maximum of £20,000) is available for equipment and/or specialist advice to implement projects

  • Guidance on creating an effective digital roadmap to ensure the technology is taking your business in the right direction.

Digital Transformation Workshops
  • We aim to connect ‘makers’ to the digital tools they can utilise to transform the way they work. The programme will grow eligible businesses through emerging digital technology and help them to cut costs, go to market faster and reduce downtime.

  • A detailed diagnostic and assessment process will help firms to develop a strategic action plan towards IDT adoption. This includes investment recommendations within the business case.

Leadership Development
  • As a registrant on the Made Smarter programme we’d like to invite you to take part in this exclusive course, delivered completely free of charge by Coventry University.

  • With up to 30 hours of prescriptive learning, you’ll be able to transform your business, enhance value creation, create efficiencies and engage your employees to deliver better results. With our Made Smarter leadership skills training, we’ll help you discover new and innovative ways of developing and managing your people.

What you can expect from your exclusive course
  • Program Outline

    As a registrant on the Made Smarter programme we’d like to invite you to take part in this exclusive course, delivered completely free of charge by Coventry University.

    With up to 30 hours of prescriptive learning, you’ll be able to transform your business, enhance value creation, create efficiencies and engage your employees to deliver better results. With our Made Smarter leadership skills training, we’ll help you discover new and innovative ways of developing and managing your people.

    What you can expect from the course:

    1. Up to 12.5 hours of face-to-face training
    2. Up to 17.5 hours of self-learning
    3. Round table discussions
    4. Business resilience and sustainability
    5. Marketing
    6. Team engagement
    7. Productivity
    8. Style/visioning/purpose
    9. Change management
    10. Onboarding
    11. People
    12. Agile
    13. Other LEAN tools

    Contact your Made Smarter advisor to find out more about the course. 

Case Studies - Our impact as told by our clients in the West Midlands
Case Study - Lusso
Changing gear with digitalisation

A cycle clothing manufacturer has embarked on a digital transformation which will boost productivity five-fold, create new jobs and open up new global markets.

Case Study - Lusso
Storth Engineering
Engineering a Fertile Future

An agricultural machine manufacturer, supported by Made Smarter, has used robotics to navigate the coronavirus pandemic and kick start its digital transformation.

Case Study - Storth Engineering
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