Inward investment
The West Midlands is home to around 2,300 foreign companies from over 40 countries which employ around 250,000 people - around one fifth of our region's workforce.
Major international names such as ICICI, Sega, Protomold, UPS, TK Maxx, CSC, Cap Gemini, Mahindra, Airbus and Tata have all recently chosen to invest and create jobs in our region. They join companies such as Fujitsu, IBM, Oracle, Muller Diaries and many others who have already chosen the West Midlands as their base.
Given the international economy in which we live, encouraging foreign companies to invest in the West Midlands is a key priority.
The role of Advantage West Midlands in attracting inward investment
Advantage West Midlands manages inward investment activity for the West Midlands with a range of regional, national and international partners.
Our investment activities promote the many distinctive and internationally competitive features that make the West Midlands such an attractive proposition to investors, these include:
central UK location with excellent road and rail access to the whole of the UK and to many mainland European locations
high calibre, well-trained staff in many sectors
leading universities working in collaboration with industry
major cost advantages in comparison with London and the south-east
Advantage West Midlands focuses on the sectors which offer the greatest opportunities for overseas investors and in which the West Midlands has particular strengths. These sectors include Automotive, Aerospace, Building Technologies, ICT, Medical Technologies, Food and Drink, Business and Professional Services and Environmental Technologies.
Advantage West Midlands’ inward investment team is responsible for all lead generation and client project management activity. While every investment project is unique, the areas of assistance generally includes:
land and property searches on behalf of clients
help with staff recruitment and training
outlining financial assistance and business support that is available
assistance in developing collaborations with research and development in our universities and the private sector
market and socio-economic data on the West Midlands
arranging tours and visits to our region
Contacts
Advantage West Midlands overseas
Advantage West Midlands is also responsible for a comprehensive network of overseas offices that operate in key markets.
Our offices in Europe operate as the West Midlands while those in North America and Asia Pacific operate under the British Midlands brand, a joint initiative with the East Midlands Development Agency.
Contact details for our overseas offices are as follows:
North America
Asia Pacific
Europe