LOCAL AREA SUMARY:

Black Country

Total number of scaleups

No. by employee growth

No. by turnover growth

No. by employee and turnover growth

Total employees

Total turnover

Top 5 Visible Scaleups by Employee Growth

William Gibbons
William Gibbons operates a printing company, which produces a variety of magazines, catalogues and mail items.

Enablelink
Enablelink sources scrap metal from a range of industries and reprocesses it.

Ski & Sport
Ski & Sport operates a sports gear and equipment wholesaling business, supplying sport retailers and market traders.

Mechatherm
Mechatherm designs and manufactures equipment for the aluminium industry, such as casting furnaces and scrap charging machines for recycling.

Wrights Plastics
Wrights Plastics manufactures a range of plastic products and offers related services such as design, prototyping and vacuum forming.

Top 5 Visible Scaleups by Turnover Growth

Kendrick Homes
Kendrick Homes provides bespoke home and property development services, including design and construction.

Wilcox
Wilcox operates two companies, Jmp Wilcox & Co and Wilcox Industrial Supply Co, that recycle textiles donated by charities into wiping cloths for use in industry.

Mechatherm
Mechatherm designs and manufactures equipment for the aluminium industry, such as casting furnaces and scrap charging machines for recycling.

Brownhills Glass
Brownhills Glass produces and processes glass for use in domestic and industrial applications.

Task Consumer Products
Task Consumer Products manufactures a range of paper and packaging products, including toilet roll and kitchen towel.

Local LEP ScaleUp Programmes

The AIM for GOLD programme supports growing businesses in the Black Country to plan and manage their growth through 1:1 support and events designed to break down barriers to growth. Ambitious business leaders can take advantage of additional programmes: 100 businesses across Birmingham and the Black Country have participated in Mentoring for Growth run by Be the Business while eligible companies in the Black Country can receive intensive support through Coventry University’s Innovate2Succeed.

The Black Country Chamber Strategic Leadership Programme is designed to boost leadership skills and management teams’ capabilities. It is delivered by a facilitator with significant experience in both manufacturing and service sectors and participants graduate with a toolkit of practical techniques and knowledge.

Scaleup Views

The key barriers to growth are access to UK markets, access to talent, leadership development and access to infrastructure/premises and broadband. They are looking for support through large corporates, local professional services, banks and growth hubs.

Top barriers to growth

  • Access to talent
  • Leadership development
  • Access to UK markets
  • Access to infrastructure/premises and broadband

want TO SEE more of:

  • Large corporates
  • Local professional services e.g. accountants and lawyers
  • Banks and other financial suppliers
  • Growth Hubs and LEPs
  • general business support from government

The Black Country Growth Hub continues to work with partners to devise new activity for growing businesses. This includes regular drop-clinics with local funders, and a programme of monthly finance workshops. The LEP has longer-term plans for a business incubator for companies developing innovation for the health & care sector.