Companies across the West Midlands are driving ahead with excellence in the automotive industry in spite of the loss of MG Rover as part of a £70 million research and development programme.

The Premium Auto Research and Development Program (PARD) at the University of Warwick is funded by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands to help companies involved in supplying to the luxury car industry.

The PARD programme also is supported by partner companies including a lead partner, Jaguar & Land Rover, part of the Premier Automotive Group within the Ford Motor Company.

Advantage West Midlands chairman Nick Paul visited three of the 200 companies who have so far taken part in the program.

Whiston Industries, Stadco and CovPress all supply to the UK luxury car industries and have collaborated with each other and the University of Warwick to improve their productivity over the last two years.

Companies who would not normally be able to invest heavily in research and development can use the cutting-edge facilities at the Warwick Manufacturing Group, ensuring West Midlands firms gain access to the highest level of skills and technology.

Since being launched in 2003, projects have covered areas such advanced body joining techniques, characterisation of new vehicle materials, crash analysis and the exploitation of IT technologies.

Whiston Industries in Cradley Heath supplies automotive press tools and have started to develop increasingly sophisticated body panel designs.

By collaborating with PARD, the family-owned company has been able to keep ahead of the market and has even brought business back to the UK from China.

Castle Bromwich firm Stadco press and assemble body panels and has worked with PARD to introduce a flexible manufacturing system, involving developing a fixtureless assembly program using co-operative robots.

Coventry-based suppliers CovPress Ltd make and assemble body parts in white, employing more than 500 workers.

Through PARD, the company has been able to tackle a series of production issues at their plant and develop increasingly sophisticated body parts.

Advantage West Midlands Chairman Nick Paul said: "The premium auto sector is vital to the West Midlands employing around 50,000 people.

"I am delighted to see real benefits of the Premium Auto Program and to gain an appreciation of the real competitive challenges the firms in the sector face.

"Much is made of the problems companies are facing, but here we have fantastic examples of companies who have taken advantage of facilities offered at the University of Warwick to improve their R&D effort and are reaping the rewards."

Nick Matthews, Principal Fellow at the Warwick Manufacturing Group, said: "Intense competition with Germany, Japan and the USA means the whole industry has had to raise its game.

"For the West Midlands to succeed in this market we need high quality final manufacturers and a supporting network of firms supplying skills, materials, components and technology which is what PARD strives to provide."

Notes to editors

Advantage West Midlands is one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England whose role is to provide leadership and action to create more, better jobs and an improved quality of life for all in the West Midlands.

For more media information or images please contact Mat Danks on 0121 5033228 or email matdanks@advantagewm.co.uk.