Made Smarter West Midlands launched in 2021, to drive digital adoption in West Midlands manufacturing and engineering SMEs.

The West Midlands Growth Company, together with strategic partners Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), delivers the programme for the region, on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority.

Support is provided through a range of activities, including grant funding, digital road mapping, change management training, mentoring, and 1:1 advice from 6 digital transformation specialists, each covering one of the areas supported; Coventry & Warwickshire, Greater Birmingham & Solihull, The Black Country, The Marches, Worcestershire, and Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire.
The programme helps to accelerate the adoption of new digital technologies within advanced manufacturing and engineering SMEs, that will boost their productivity, decrease downtime, and help them get to market faster.
SMEs who are eligible for support are connected with Industrial Digital Technology Advisors at either WMG or MTC who deliver more intensive 1:1 technical and R&D support, together with support to apply for a match-funded grant of up to £20K, and future road-mapping activity towards implementation of the digital solutions.
The programme also includes operational and workforce development support and an internship offer, which provides manufacturers with skills support alongside change management and leadership skills  training.
Contact the Made Smarter West Midlands team at madesmarter@cwgrowthhub.co.uk

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

The Made Smarter West Midlands programme is delivered by the West Midlands Growth Company, working closely with strategic partners Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), helping SMEs across the region to benefit from the expertise of their digital manufacturing specialists.

Local support for local people
Advice and Support

  • The Made Smarter West Midlands team assess each business that applies to ensure they are given the specialist support they need.

  • Digital Transformation Specialists together with experts from WMG and MTC help SMEs to develop an action plan for digital adoption, which could involve implementation of new digital technologies and automation, participating in a leadership training programme, and applying for a match-funded grant.

Funding Support

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

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

Digital Transformation Workshops

  • Made Smarter connects 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 industrial digital technology adoption. This includes investment recommendations within the business case.

Leadership Development

  • Made Smarter programme participants have the opportunity to take part in a Leading Change course, developed exclusively for Made Smarter by Coventry University.

  • It includes up to 30 hours of learning, which helps leaders to transform their business, enhance value creation, create efficiencies and engage employees to deliver better results.

Contact madesmarter@cwgrowthhub.co.uk for more information and dates  for the next cohort.

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
PetShop
Stratford pet business ready for next stage of growth

An innovative online pet shop which was the first to offer subscription pet food services back in 2010 aims to grow by 30 per cent in 2025 – its 15th anniversary year – following support from Made Smarter West Midlands

PetShop.co.uk, which was founded in 2010 initially under the name of Petshop Bowl after Adam Taylor and his wife, Lexi, received a £5,000 loan from the King’s Trust, focuses on home delivery and subscriptions of the nation’s favourite pet foods direct to pet owners.
Adam’s lightbulb moment for setting up the business came after watching his mum’s struggle with arthritis which made it difficult to get to the shops to buy pet food for their two dogs and five cats.
That led to the launch of the business, now called PetShop.co.uk, which includes a subscription service called Bottomless Bowl, so that pet food as well as providing over 10,000 brand products such as Orijen, Royal Canin, Hill and Pro Plan dog and cat foods.

Stocking so many products at its warehouse at Precision Business Park in Masons Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, does present challenges which meant there was sometimes a delay in putting together the boxes manually as well as picking and packing to post the thousands and thousands of daily orders they deal with.

Adam received a grant from Made Smarter West Midlands to automate this stage of the process.

Case Study - PetShop
D.A.R.L Engineering
On the right road to further success

A family-run precision engineering and manufacturing business is heading in the right direction to future success after receiving grant funding from Made Smarter West Midlands.

Case Study - D.A.R.L Engineering
Samuel Heath and Sons
Heritage and digital technology proving a winning combination

Samuel Heath and Sons plc manufactures the finest pieces of solid brassware from its premises at Grade II listed Leopold Street in Birmingham where it remains today.

The 130-strong business has evolved towards using the latest production methods combined with the skills of its staff to design and manufacture high-end taps, showers, bathroom accessories and door and window furniture for customers all over the world.

Samuel Heath has a UK showroom at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour in London and customer services teams based in Birmingham and across the UK and the USA.

Martin Harrison, who has been Manufacturing Director for the last seven years, wanted to improve the availability of live data from the vast range of machines throughout its factory.

Case Study - Samuel Heath and Sons
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