APPENDIX 1
Memorandum submitted by Advantage West
Midlands
INQUIRY ON UKTI's 5-YEAR STRATEGY
QUESTIONS TO
THE REGIONAL
DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES
Inward Investment:
1. What is your annual expenditure and staffing
resource on inward investment promotion to your region?
The inward investment budget for the 2005-08
Corporate Plan period is £2 million per annum. UK based staffing
resources devoted to inward investment comprise 10 FTE posts.
2. What activities does the agency carry out
to promote inward investment into the region (such as overseas
offices, missions, information provision etc)?
Inward investment activities are split into
two distinct elements:
(a) Lead generation activities are primarily
undertaken via our network of overseas offices based in eleven
locations with significant input from the UK team.
(b) Project Management and enquiry handling
services are managed almost exclusively from the UK. Provision
of information, marketing material and website development activities
are undertaken largely in the UK.
3. Is the agency's inward investment promotion
carried out directly by the agency, or by another sponsored body?
In Europe inward investment activities are carried
out directly by AWM employees based in Brussels, Cologne and Paris.
Third party contractors provide a consultancy service based in
Stockholm to cover the Scandinavian markets.
In North America we work in collaboration with
emda under the British Midlands branding. Activities are undertaken
by the British Midlands Development Corporation, a non-profit
organisation established under Massachusetts State law and 50/50
owned by AWM and emda.
In Asia Pacific we also work in collaboration
with emda under the British Midlands branding.
4. Which sectors and countries is the agency
particularly focused on?
Our inward investment strategy has been developed
directly from the Regional Economic Strategy and focuses on securing
investment within specific clusters where the region has an internationally
or nationally competitive proposition. These include aerospace
and automotive, building technology, food & drink, environmental
technology, food & drink, ICT and medical technology.
Our proactive lead generation activities focus
almost exclusively on countries where we have overseas representation.
This comprises Benelux, France, Germany, Sweden, Australia, India,
Japan and four locations in the USA(Boston, Chicago, San Jose
and Washington DC).
5. How many inward investment projects has
the agency won in the last three years? How many of these have
created or saved jobs? In total, how many jobs have been created
or saved?
During the three year period 2003-04 to 2005-06
AWM assisted 91 investment projects which created or safeguarded
12,938 jobs.
6. Could the agency outline some examples
of successful inward investment projects, which the region has
recently won, and how these have impacted on the region?
Examples of footloose knowledge driven projects
attracted to the region during the current financial year (2006-07)
include:
Airbus—Systems Engineering Centre for
fuel systems and landing gear systems—220 new jobs
La Farge—establishment of UK headquarters
for cement division (includes Blue Circle Cement brand)—120
new jobs
Telmar—US based IT/telecoms services company,
UK headquarters—100 new jobs
Sega—establishment of global "racing
studio" for the development of motorsport racing games for
the Xbox 360 and Play Station 3-70 new jobs
7. What are the agency's future plans for
inward investment promotion, within the context of UKTI's new
5-year strategy?
AWM's new inward investment strategy will be
developed over the next 12 months in response to the new Regional
Economic Strategy, due to be published Autmn 2007 and also in
response to the UKTI 5 year strategy.
Trade promotion:
8. What trade missions to promote exports
from the region has the agency organised or taken part in over
the last three years?
UKTI West Midlands acts as the International
Trade Arm of the RDA and as such jointly organises and promotes
trade missions with the RDA in the West Midlands for all the RDA's
10 clusters. Over the last 3 years 150 trade missions have been
organised to a wide range of markets. Frequently visited markets
include USA, China, India, Germany, France, Poland and Dubai.
9. How do you determine which missions to
promote? Do you ever co-operate with other RDAs in promoting joint
missions? Do you encourage/allows firms from outside your region
to participate in your missions?
The decisions on which missions to promote and
which markets to visit are taken by the RDA Cluster Groups and
International Trade Advisers, based on views from companies. Some
missions are jointly organised, with other regions and our mission
programme is complementary to and additional to any nationally
organised UKTI missions and programmes organised by other regions.
Firms from other regions are allowed to join West Midland's organised
missions, but they would be expected to be funded by the region
they are based in.
September 2006
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