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The West Midlands produces 15.9% of the UK's rubber and plastics output and employs more than 40,000 people. However to survive and grow in the changing business environment the businesses must innovate. The comparatively small size of Polymer processing companies means that most will not possess the resources to attain competitive advantage via innovation without collaborating with other companies and institutions - i.e. without clustering. The project has 2 key aims:
1. To engage with companies to identify individual needs and the opportunities for combining skills to generate new opportunities and products;
2. To form new companies to collaborate and address new activities.
The project has two phases; phase 1 was completed at the end of March 2006 and the phase 2 extension will complete operations in June 2008.
Phase 1 has been very successful. Results to date are excellent and continue to filter through, currently; 4 new start-up businesses, 102 new jobs, 296 safeguarded jobs, £6,138,000 new sales and £19,063,000 safeguarded sales; 28 businesses improved, 29 businesses assisted with an innovative outcome and 12 businesses assisted with sustainable results.
The end of the first six months of phase 2 saw 19 companies receiving technical business interventions by the cluster project.
For further information about this innovative project visit www.polymercluster.co.uk
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