- Government roadshow, created to get more small businesses exporting and grow the economy, is in Birmingham today
- The event brings together SME exporters with buyers and Commercial Officers from markets around the world
- For the first time, 20 leading UK exporters will be showcasing their products, from an electric truck to 3D printed jewellery and aero engine parts
Small business exporters will be front and centre of a new roadshow in Birmingham offering tailored government support to get more SMEs exporting across the advanced manufacturing sector. This will include how these firms can take advantage of the recent trade announcements with India and US amongst other opportunities.
The Made in the UK, Sold to the World roadshow events offer SMEs the opportunity to directly connect with Commercial Officers, international buyers, Export Champions and International Trade Advisers (ITAs) to get advice, support, and discuss real export opportunities, through one-to-one meetings to help them start up, scale up and succeed.
The Commercial Officers and international buyers present at the event span 10 markets across the world, from the USA to China and Spain.
Each roadshow taking place in the coming months will be focused on one of the eight key growth driving sectors identified in the UK’s modern Industrial Strategy.
The ambition is to channel government support to sectors with the highest potential to create jobs, boost productivity and grow the economy. All of which will help deliver the Plan for Change to put more money in more working people’s pockets.
Both the Exports Minister Gareth Thomas and the Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker will be speaking at the event.
Gareth Thomas, Minister for Small Businesses and Exports, said:
“From production machinery to compound semiconductors and construction equipment, advanced manufacturing is key to this Government’s export ambitions.
“Our modern Industrial Strategy will maximise opportunities in this key growth sector and create good jobs with high wages, raise productivity and boost the economy in the West Midlands and beyond.”
The West Midlands is a leader in the Advanced Manufacturing sector, home to major players across the aerospace, automotive, agri-tech, and batteries sectors, and hosting multiple prominent manufacturing companies like JLR and Aston Martin.
But Advanced Manufacturing is also a national strength with the UK exporting a whopping £33 billion of automotive products, £33 billion of mechanical power generators and £13 billion of Aerospace products last year alone.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said:
“Creating jobs and growing our economy is my top priority. That’s why I have already helped 125 ambitious local businesses to boost their exports and secure international contracts.
“Our region is already delivering world-class products to markets across the globe. From the cars built in Solihull and Coventry, to the aerospace parts engineered in Wolverhampton and the Black Country.
“This roadshow is about backing even more businesses so they can seize fresh opportunities to sell to the world’s biggest and fastest-growing markets and make the most of the new trade deals with the US and India.
“Let’s show the world that the West Midlands is open for business.”
Among others on hand to offer expert advice at the event will be Export Champion Rob Lawton, who is the International Sales Director at Lawton Tubes. With Government help, the company recently won an export contract worth a projected £43 million over five years with a Saudi business.
Also present will be Export Champion and CEO of Birmingham-based business Brandauer, Rowan Crozier MBE. The business specialises in manufacturing precision metal components for a range of industry. Brandauer recently won a significant export contract with an Egyptian business worth approximately £4 million to supply more than 10 million parts annually to be assembled into a six-blade disposable razor assembly.
Robert Lawton, International Sales Director at Lawton Tubes, said:
“Lawton Tubes has had the full support of the British Government whether it’s been on the networking side of trade deals to the all-important back-office support tailoring contracts and finance.
“Even seasoned exporters that we are, we still pulled on the UK civil servants whether in UK or in Saudi. We can’t thank them enough for their ongoing support even when sometimes it’s a little bit of a rush. The resource available in the UK Gov is quite often unstated.”
For the first time there will be a showcase zone at the roadshow, where 20 exhibitors, mostly SMEs, will be displaying their products, which cover a wide range of advanced manufacturing sub-sectors from 3D printing of jewelry and copper piping to an electric truck and aero engine parts.
Rowan Crozier MBE, CEO of Brandauer, said:
“Brandauer’s rich history in precision is borne from our ability to export. We are thrilled to announce our recent export win at this event, a contract that recognises our unique capability to work with customers to design a product for manufacture. We will break the 1 billion parts per annum barrier with this good news!”
We know that Business who export, grow even faster, which is why this Government is determined to get even more small firms on the exporting ladder.
In March, the Department of Business and Trade relaunched the Board of Trade, to help businesses, and in particular the UK’s 5.5 million SMEs, boost their exports.
And later this year, we will be launching the Trade Strategy, which will set out the Government’s approach to maximising trade opportunities, which will include improving how SMEs use trade agreements, like the recently announced UK-India FTA and UK-US tariff deal, to build new strategic alliances, and strengthen our position to trade in the innovative sectors of the future.
UK businesses can access DBT’s wealth of export support via Great.gov.uk. This comprises an online support offer and a wider network of support including the Export Academy, UK Export Finance, the International Markets network, and one-to-one support from International Trade Advisers.
Background
Roadshow timeline:
· Blyth: Clean Energy – 24 April 2025
· Birmingham: Advanced Manufacturing – 15 May 2025
· Cardiff: Technology – 13 June 2025
· Oxford: Life Sciences – 16 July 2025
· Belfast: Digital and Technology – 11 September 2025
· Edinburgh: Financial Services – 25 September 2025
· Other events in Liverpool and London planned for Autumn
More information can be found on the roadshow website: Made in the UK Sold to the World Roadshows