Business News
JLR creates smart city hub testbed
Car giant Jaguar Land Rover is linking up with global software, mobility and telecoms companies to create a smart city 'hub', in order to test self-driving vehicles, which will share streets with cars, pedestrians and cyclists. The Future Mobility Campus
Ireland (FMCI) will be a testbed spread across 12km of public roads, providing the facilities and expertise to harness valuable sensor data, simulate a variety of road environments and traffic scenarios and trial new technologies. As part of the trials, the all-
electric Jaguar I-Pace will be deployed for testing. The testbed will advance
Jaguar Land Rover’s research into autonomous, connected, electrified and shared vehicles – a key part of the company’s commitment to making societies safer and healthier with pioneering technology.
‘Collaborating with top-tier software companies will allow us to develop our future systems more efficiently’
The facility will be equipped with sensors throughout the site, along with location systems, a data management and control centre and self- driving prototype vehicles. It will feature smart
junctions, connected roads, autonomous parking and electric vehicle charging as well as links to a 450km stretch of connected highway and a managed air traffic corridor for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Shannon airport along the Shannon Estuary in Ireland. John Cormican, general manager for Shannon Ireland Jaguar Land Rover, said: "This partnership with FMCI provides us with a real-world facility to trial our emerging autonomous, connected, electrified and shared technology in a strategic location. Collaborating with top-tier software companies will allow us to develop our future systems more efficiently.”
Chamber report highlights decline in domestic sales
A decline in domestic sales and decreasing cash flow levels are presenting West Midlands businesses with huge challenges, according to a major economic report released today. The latest West Midlands Quarterly Economic Snapshot – published by the Greater Birmingham, Coventry & Warwickshire and Black Country Chambers of Commerce – reveals 47 per cent of firms experienced a drop in UK sales during the last quarter. While this is a significant reduction on the 72 per
cent who suffered a decline in Q2, it shows UK sales are still some way off returning to pre-pandemic levels. The region’s manufacturers have experienced a boost
in orders over the last quarter with 36 per cent reporting an increase, compared to 11 per cent in Q2. And the number of service sector firms reporting an
increase in orders rose by 16 per cent to 27 per cent, although this remains the second lowest figure on record and is a 9 per cent decrease on the same period last year.
‘It is pleasing to see a slight upturn across all of the key indicators compared to the last quarter’
The Quarterly Economic Snapshot, which covers the
West Midlands Combined Authority area, is based on data collected by the region’s three Chambers of Commerce. Export levels rose slightly in Q3, with 13 per cent
reporting an increase in international sales compared to eight per cent in the previous quarter. The percentage of businesses expecting their
international output to increase over the next three months has also increased to 15 per cent, but the recovery remains fragile.
Paul Faulkner One in five firms said cash flow had improved during
Q2, while 47 per cent of businesses surveyed reported a worsening cash flow position compared to 63 per cent in the last quarter. Business confidence has increased this quarter with
38 per cent of firms expecting their profits to increase in the next 12 months, compared to 28 per cent in Q2. Turnover projections have also risen, with 43 per cent
of firms expecting an increase over the next 12 months. Paul Faulkner, chief executive of the GBCC, said: “It is
pleasing to see a slight upturn across all of the key indicators compared to the last quarter which saw record low scores across the board as businesses began to emerge from the national lockdown restrictions that had been imposed since March. “We are calling on the government to take a more
long term approach and consider what support can be put in place to alleviate the financial strain on businesses, many of whom have accumulated large levels of unsustainable debt throughout this crisis as they struggle to stay afloat.”
New venue for ‘Robin Hood’
Birmingham Hippodrome’s annual panto, ‘Robin Hood’, is to be staged at the nearby Alexandra Theatre. The panto – which stars ‘Strictly Come Dancing’
judge Craig Revel Horwood as The Sheriff of Nottingham – is a socially distanced, one-act production, and is switching venues due to the Hippodrome being used for the ‘Van Gogh Alive’ show. ‘Robin Hood’ will play from 15 to 31 January 2021
only. The show will also star panto veteran Matt Slack, and Richard Cadell and Sooty, the mischievous TV puppet. Sooty made his TV debut almost 70 years ago, first
with Harry Corbett (and later his son Matthew). Richard Cadell has accompanied Sooty on stage and television for over 20 years following Matthew’s retirement, and their programmes remain among ITV’s most popular children’s shows. Joining them in the show as ‘Mrs Tuck’ will be
Doreen Tipton, back for her second consecutive Hippodrome pantomime, following her appearance in ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ last year. Other cast members include pantomime dame and
Hippodrome regular Andrew Ryan, and West End musical leading ladies Landi Oshinowo, Nicola Meehan and Lauren Chia.
14 CHAMBERLINK December 2020/January 2021 Strictly villainous: Craig Revel Horwood
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