Advanced Manufacturing

Staffordshire is a global manufacturing hub with supply-chain opportunities across a range of industries and sectors. Major international brands are investing here alongside exciting local innovators.

● Manufacturing Clusters

● Global Engineering Brands

● Huge Talent Pool and Skills

Perfectly located in the very heart of the UK, midway between the two largest regional economies of Manchester and Birmingham; Staffordshire offers easy access to customers; suppliers and talent across the Midlands and North West with almost 20 million people living within an hour’s drive.

Whether you are a global manufacturer looking for a new site, or an entrepreneur with a great startup, Staffordshire is the place that can turn ideas into success.

Automotive

Perfectly located in the middle of the UK’s automotive cluster, Staffordshire has deep expertise in engine manufacturing and advanced engineering. Along with Jaguar Land Rover, Michelin, Gestamp and JCB with major facilities here, Staffordshire is just a few miles from several OEMs in the North West (Bentley, JLR, Ford and Stellantis) and Midlands (JLR, Aston Martin, Toyota and BMW). There are 1,457 companies in the Midlands automotive cluster employing 51,000 people, the most of any UK region.

Aerospace and Defence

Global aerospace manufacturers based here include Collins (Raytheon) and Moog, alongside local grown innovators like UAV Engines that are at the forefront of drone technologies and Hill Helicopters, makers of the HX50, which is the world’s fastest selling helicopter. Global names such as Rolls-Royce and Airbus are less than an hour away. Staffordshire is a key part of the Midlands aerospace cluster which has 524 companies and 36,500 jobs in the sector. The defence sector is especially well-represented here, with several major Ministry of Defence organisations and a strong supply-chain of contractors.

Ceramics and Advanced Materials

Stoke-on-Trent has a world leading historic legacy in the ceramics sectors, an area which is world famous as ‘The Potteries’ with household names including Wedgwood, Spode and Emma Bridgewater. Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire has nearly 8,000 jobs in the ceramics industry and advanced ceramics has significant opportunities in healthcare, electronics and energy applications.

Energy

Hitachi Energy has had its UK headquarters in Stone for three decades and in 2024 announced plans to invest in a new Operational Campus in Staffordshire that will create and retain hundreds of jobs. Perkins engines in Stafford is at the forefront of power generation technologies and JCB is working on a pioneering range of machines that are 100% electric with zero emissions. Energy storage firm, GivEnergy, opened its first manufacturing facility in Newcastle-under-Lyme in 2024, creating engineering, and R&D jobs.

Food and Drink

Burton-upon-Trent is renowned as the ‘Brewing Capital of Britain’ due to its unique water chemistry and a long history of brewing. North American drinks company, Molson Coors, is investing in its brewery in Burton that will increase brewing capacity and packaging capacity as part of a £100m investment in its UK facilities. Other food and drink manufacturers investing in Staffordshire include Excelsior Foods, who in 2024 announced its expansion to Stafford creating 100 new jobs for its baby milk production. Premier Foods, producer of many famous brands from Homepride to Mr Kipling, has its central logistics facility in Staffordshire.