West Midlands could hit an output of £44bn and create 50,000 jobs
22 May 2026 
The West Midlands region of the UK could deliver an annual industrial output worth £44bn, create 50,000 jobs, and attract £1.6bn of investment in advanced manufacturing by 2035, according to a new report that sets out an action plan to create a world-class manufacturing cluster in the region able to compete with nations such as Singapore, China and Mexico.
The 54-page report has been produced by Project Made (Midlands Advanced Manufacturing Ecosystem) – an initiative that has brought together regional companies and organisations to deliver a 10-year plan for growth and investment in the West Midlands’ advanced manufacturing sector. The project, chaired by Steve Rigby, CEO of Rigby Group, lays out a framework aimed at delivering 5% compound annual GVA growth in the sector by 2035.
Project Made’s members include Unipart Manufacturing, Horiba Mira, Midlands Aerospace Alliance, BCIC, Warwick Manufacturing Group, the Manufacturing Technology Centre, West Midlands Combined Authority, WM Growth Company, Coventry City Council, Coventry University and the West Midlands Investment Zone, as well the Rigby Group.
The report proposes creating a new entity to drive the delivery of an advanced manufacturing supercluster in the West Midlands, with funding coming from public and private investors. It would deliver on the government’s industrial strategy for the region, with an ecosystem that turns world-class innovation into scaled production, driven by customer demand.
“Project Made has brought together key leaders across the region to turn a clear ambition into practical, coordinated action,” explains the project’s chair, Steve Rigby. “The West Midlands has all the ingredients to lead globally in advanced manufacturing – our task now is to bring those strengths together with pace, focus and discipline.”
The report points out that West Midlands already produces more manufactured goods than Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Liverpool combined. But, it adds that the sector faces “critical supply chain distress” and chronic under-investment in automation. The report argues that, without urgent intervention and implementation of its recommendations, the UK risks losing ground as global manufacturing is reshaped by digitalisation and electrification.
The report sets out four recommendations for securing the West Midlands position as the UK’s leading advanced manufacturing area:
- Establishing an advanced manufacturing “supercluster” This new body would drive coordination across the advanced manufacturing ecosystem.
- Stimulating customer demand Connecting SMEs directly to OEMs and Tier 1 buyers to address their needs for resilience and innovation, while “turbocharging” existing regional business growth programmes.
- Creating a unified investment proposition Bolstering advanced manufacturing in the region and creating a more integrated approach to investment.
- Strengthening foundations for growth and scale Addressing structural barriers by mapping a 10-year real estate plan, boosting investment, and closing the “automation gap” by delivering 15,000 AI and automation-skilled workers.
“The West Midlands is advanced manufacturing’s home ground in Britain,” says Greg Clark, executive chair of the University of Warwick Innovation District and a member of the Government’s Industrial Strategy Advisory Council. “Nowhere else has the breadth and depth of manufacturing assets – a unique ecology of manufacturers, their suppliers and suppliers to suppliers; leading universities and research and development centres that work in symbiosis with industry; specialist skills found in a young workforce; sites for development well connected with each other and the country by road and rail; direct connections to policy makers nationally and regionally. Sometimes these strengths are deployed separately rather than together, which limits their potential power.”
“Innovation starts and scales in the West Midlands,” adds Neil Rami, chief executive of the West Midlands Growth company. “The region operates as a fully integrated system where ideas are rapidly developed, tested and industrialised within a single regional economy. We also have one of the UK’s largest applied R&D ecosystems outside London, supported by six research-intensive universities producing over 50,000 graduates each year. Project Made will help develop the region’s advanced manufacturing sector further and ensure it remains a market leader, both nationally and internationally.”
