The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership Chairman of the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership, Graham Wynn OBE, welcomes Greg Clark MP, now UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to the Marches during a visit in 2015 WELCOME TO THE MARCHES

Home to the birthplace of industry, 29,800 businesses and a £12.3 billion economy, the Marches includes Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

Ofcially one of the most The region’s business- Today the Marches has a enterprising regions in friendly approach is why vibrant SME business base, the country, it is uniquely global players including ready-made supply chains placed to capitalise on BAE Systems, Ricoh, across multiple industry its location and sector Denso, GKN Land sectors and with its quality strengths in advanced Systems, Caterpillar, Muller of life ofer in one of the manufacturing, food and Wiseman Dairies, Cap most beautiful regions of drink and defence and Gemini, Bulmers () the UK, it is one of the security. and Cargill Meats have fastest-growing investment chosen to base their locations in the Midlands. It has the largest areas of operations here. shovel-ready land in the Midlands, with two key investment locations in and Telford.

A land deal in 2016 will see the UK Government commit £44.5 from land sales in Telford into site preparation and infrastructure to support growth. And more than 25 investors have already relocated to Skylon Park, a dynamic business location on Hereford Enterprise Zone.

TELFORD

Telford 54 is a prominently located 78.11 acre (31.61 ha) site, arranged into 7 diferent sized plots, in an attractive landscaped setting adjacent to Staford Park, one of Telford’s major industrial estates.

Telford 54 joins the A464 With a workforce of T54 has already attracted only 0.85 miles from 350,000 located within 30 the largest FDI investment Junction 4 of the M54 minutes of the town, Telford in the Midlands in recent motorway linking to the M6, boasts a strong expertise years in Tier 1 automotive and 1.7 miles from Central in automotive engineering, supplier Magna Cosma, Telford, which is undergoing advanced manufacturing, and has just announced a a £250 million pound logistics and other further major investment reinvestment as part of the engineering related activity. in the site by car parts Southwater Programme. manufacturer Polytech. Together these investors will eventually create up to 800 jobs. These and Telford’s advanced manufacturing other automotive sector investments mean that corridor, with 200 acres of ready Telford is well placed to to go land is the equivalent of 166 support the strengthening of West Midlands supply football pitches! chains and the re-shoring of the £6bn of additional supply chain opportunities identifed by the Automobile Council. “This Telford project will bring the most advanced structural casting technologies to the UK .....as light-weighting continues to be a key technology driver, we are uniquely positioned to help automakers achieve optimal weight savings throughout the vehicle architecture.” President of Cosma International (Magna) Skylon Park is unique – it is the only Enterprise Zone in the UK with a dedicated defence and security sector focus thanks to the city’s links to the world-renowned special forces, the SAS. HEREFORD

Skylon Park is a modern business destination in the picturesque Herefordshire countryside and is the only Enterprise Zone in the UK with a dedicated defence and security sector focus.

Plots are scaled to suit Based in Rotherwas, just The south area of the Park investors and made outside the city centre, the is envisioned as a hub development ready – 25 park is a thriving home for for defence and security businesses have already 250 companies employing businesses beneftting moved to the Zone more than 3,000 people, from the close proximity beneftting from free with its own specifc access to the Hereford SAS business rates, simplifed road, it has excellent links base, Malvern Science fast and free planning and to the motorway network. Park and GCHQ. A cyber an ultrafast broadband security centre is planned network. Only 40 acres Speculative build to by the University of remain, particularly suited rent units have been Wolverhampton as a focus to larger investors. constructed and are for business occupation, already full. One of these, training and links to Skylon Court, is host to the academic research. Business Solutions Centre run by the University of Wolverhampton providing integrated business support, advice and training.

“It’s home for us, and with modern technology nowadays we can easily communicate with our team and clients whether they are based in the UK or further afeld. It’s also home to other ex-military personnel who have also set up businesses locally using their expertise, which we regularly call on for training new recruits.” Bob Cole, Director, Minimal Risk Consultancy BUSINESS IN THE MARCHES

Contributes 666,700 Home to £12.3 PEOPLE 29,800 BILLION Live Here BUSINESSES to the UK Economy

Business Marches start-up 12,300 Survival Rates business rate JOBS 2nd 8th Created Since HIGHEST HIGHEST 2011 Out of 38 LEPs in UK

1,988 8% 26% INWARD GROWTH GROWTH INVESTMENT in SMEs in last in Business and Projects Attracted 5 years Professional in 2014/15, Services Sector up 12% OUR BUSINESS SECTOR STRENGTHS

Advanced manufacturing The region already boasts The Marches benefts from a number of vehicle the availability of quality More than 36,600 people component manufacturers, sites; its proximity to the are employed in a wide machinery and equipment M54 which links to the rest range of manufacturing manufacturing and metal of the national motorway industries, including fabricators including: BAE network and the nearby i54 fabricated metal Systems (Engineering, site, home to Jaguar Land productions, rubber, Combat Vehicles UK); Rover’s (JLR) new engine polymers and machinery/ GKN plc; Bridgnorth plant, which represents equipment manufacturing, Aluminium; Caterpillar; a major opportunity for with automotive Denso; Doncasters Marches manufacturers, manufacturing alone Group Ltd; GEA Denco; a number of whom are employing 3,400 people in Grainger & Worrall; Holden already tier one suppliers, the region. Aluminium Technologies, to do more business with Special Metals Wiggins and JLR. Stadco. Defence and security As home to the UK Special In Shropshire, meanwhile, Forces, Herefordshire has RAF Cosford houses Defence and security a heritage that has led to it the Defence College of businesses employ already being the location Aeronautical Engineering approximately 4,000 people for a cluster of companies and other technical across the Marches and in this sector, many of training operational units, aside from the operational which have been alongside the award- bases, key private sector set up by ex-military winning RAF museum. companies already personnel. These Whilst Telford, with its operating in the sector companies, building on concentration of aero here include: BAE Systems the worldwide reputation and defence companies (Engineering, Combat that the British Army has and supply chain around Vehicles UK); Caterpillar for quality and expertise, MOD Donnington, is Remanufacturing; DrazaH are able to exploit the an expanding defence Solutions Limited; Fujitsu; growing export market for gateway and centre of G4S; Global Radio Data the supply of services in logistics excellence. Communications and this sector. The region’s Smartwater Technologies. Enterprise Zone, at Skylon Park, in Herefordshire, is the only Zone in the UK with a defence and security sector focus. Agri-Food & Agri-Tech The region also boasts a Harper Adams University, well-established supply the leading UK institution Worth more than £1.89 chain in food packaging, specialising in agriculture billion to the Marches manufacturing, processing, and agricultural economy and claiming materials innovation testing engineering, is an almost a quarter of all and development and internationally recognised Marches manufacturing specialist logistics and Centre of Excellence in this jobs, the thriving agri-food preservation solutions. sector. and drink sector employs 42,700 people. The Marches also has more people employed in Agri- Boasting both Tech than any other LEP multinationals and home- area. Key players include grown names including McConnel, the world leader ABP, Arla, Bulmers in Vegetation Maintenance; (Heineken); Fullwood, a world leader (Mondelez); Cargill Meats; in robotic milking parlours; Dairy Crest; Faccenda; GKN Land Systems in Heinz (Single Service); Telford and JCB in our Müller Wiseman Dairy; neighbouring LEP. Palethorpes (Pork Farms); Tyrrells and Westons , the size and scope of the food and drink sector in the Marches cannot be underestimated.