Prosper Autumn, Black Country Chamber of Commerce magazine

BUSINESS FINANCE SPOTLIGHT
Plans outlined for
major rail route
improvements
A full business case has been submitted
outlining plans to enhance the Shrewsbury
- Black Country - Birmingham rail route.
The project from Midlands Connect is
expected to provide about £23m of
economic benefits, relating to journey time
improvements alongside improved air
quality, environmental benefits and reduced
congestion on local roads.
The track would have minor realignments
in two places, within the railway corridor to
improve the route for the train and
passengers, as well as improvements around
signalling on the line.
If approved by the government, work on
the scheme could begin as early as 2025.
CSCM Ltd celebrating
two new partnerships
with sporting bodies
CSCM Limited has recently added to
its growing list of sports and
hospitality clients after being
appointed as official technology and
cloud partners to Ipswich Town
Football Club, as well as to the
prestigious Edgbaston Priory Club
in Birmingham.
Crowe welcomes further funding
for Made Smarter programme
The head of manufacturing at audit, tax,
advisory and risk firm Crowe has welcomed
the government’s decision to fund the Made
Smarter scheme for a further three years.
Johnathan Dudley, Midlands managing
partner, said an additional £2.3 million
meant that the West Midlands Combined
Authority (WMCA) has now secured nearly
£7 million from government to help the
region’s businesses embrace digital
technology and supercharge their growth.
The announcement was made by Andy
Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, as he
opened the British Manufacturing
Showcase which was hosted by Crowe at its
West Midlands
mayor Andy Street
with Crowe’s
Johnathan Dudley
and Nigel Bostock
Midlands office in Oldbury.
Made Smarter has already helped more
than 200 SMEs in the West Midlands
digitise their work, improve employees’
skills and become more productive since
the scheme was launched across the region
in 2021.
Because of this success, the Department
for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
(BEIS), which funds the scheme, has agreed
to commit a further £2.3 million to continue
the programme for another three years.
More than 150 businesses have already
signed up to benefit from this second
phase of the scheme.
Fast-track expansion planned as
EnPro opens Scotland office
Established in 2017 by career railway professionals Craig Speed and
Daniel Cartwright, Wolverhampton-based EnPro goes from strength-tostrength
with the opening of a new office in Scotland and a planned
recruitment drive.
The business offers bespoke project managed solutions for the rail
industry across five key sectors: railway projects, train presentation,
support services, facilities management and security provision.
Projects undertaken by the company have included fleet modifications,
fitting CCTV to locomotives and carrying out deep cleaning for entire
train fleets, with EnPro contracted by GB Railfreight to keep cabs clean
and safe on more than 100 locomotives during the height of the Covid-19
pandemic.
PROSPER AUTUMN 2022 11