Advanced Manufacturing
A world class production base—designed for what’s next.
Advanced manufacturing in Staffordshire’s spans power systems, aerospace components, precision metals, engineered ceramics and high integrity automotive assembly. Global leaders such as JCB, Jaguar Land Rover, Moog, Gestamp, Collins Aerospace and Perkins operate significant facilities here, linking into one of Europe’s densest multi tier supply chains.
Key numbers
2.5m sq ft
delivered / approx. 2,700 jobs at i54; 25 acres remaining
Midlands automotive firms; 51,000 jobs (25% of UK)
£18-20m Hitachi Energy
Investment; site opens 2026, approx. 400 staff relocating
Enterprise Zone Capacity
(e.g. 1.17m sq ft at Chatterley Park)
Flagship platforms with real numbers
The i54 South Staffordshire advanced manufacturing hub is a 300 acre park with over 2.5 million sq ft delivered and around 2,700 employees on site—home to Jaguar Land Rover, MOOG, Atlas Copco, Eurofins and others. With 25 acres remaining in the current expansion and dedicated access to M54 J2, i54 offers large power, fast track plots and logistics reach via the M6/M6 Toll. Over £1bn private investment has been attracted to i54, with 2.5m sq ft built and 1.73m skilled workers within a 30-minute drive, underlining why major programmes land here and scale.
A proven Midlands engine
The Midlands automotive/manufacturing cluster counts 1,457 companies and 51,000 jobs – 25% of the UK total – benefiting Staffordshire’s component producers with deep OEM access and funded innovation (the Midlands captured 60% of the Innovate UK automotive awards since 2005).
Powering the energy transition
Hitachi Energy is investing up to £20m in a new Operational Campus in Staffordshire to support grid automation and digital energy systems, retaining and creating hundreds of jobs and consolidating around 400 staff from its long standing Stone base. Construction started in 2025, with opening targeted for 2026
Materials, ceramics and advanced processes
Stoke on Trent’s ceramic innovation flows into advanced materials for energy, health and electronics; the county’s historic know how continues to feed high spec manufacturing niches where tolerances and quality systems are mission critical.
Sites and skills, ready to go
Beyond i54, the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone and Chatterley Park (up to 1.17m sq ft) sit on the A500 with fast access to the M6 and A50. Enterprise Zone benefits and shovel ready plots compress build to runway timelines for OEMs and Tier 1s.
Cost advantages that increase ROI
Office and industrial footprints are materially cheaper than London or the South East (typically £10/sq ft office; £6/sq ft industrial), while median pay and living costs remain below national averages – helping manufacturers attract and retain teams without squeezing margins.
Supply chain, testing and export support
The county’s business networks supported 1,700 firms in 2023 to unlock £1m in funding and £30m in exports, complementing University and NHS linked R&D that ties into life sciences manufacturing and medical devices.
The bottom line
From billion‑pound OEM programmes to agile advanced materials and power systems, Staffordshire gives you the infrastructure, skills, and cost base to industrialise R&D and manufacture competitively at scale.