Sarah Coombes, MP for West Bromwich pictured with Steve Morley, president of the CBMThe
National Metalforming Centre (NMC), which is home to, and owned by, the
Confederation of British Metalforming (CBM), has made a political appointment by welcoming its latest tenant. Located just off the A41 in the Black Country, the modern office space is the new home for Sarah Coombes, MP for West Bromwich, as she looks to build stronger links with local industry.
Sarah (
www.sarahcoombes.co.uk) has already developed a proactive relationship with the CBM to help her understand some of the challenges and opportunities that exist for its members in 2025. This has included contributing to the organisation’s paper on the proposed Industrial Strategy and asking a critical question in the House of Commons, the latter regarding onerous claims from the HMRC for backdated steel safeguard tariffs impacting CBM members and others around the UK.
Geraldine Bolton, the CBM’s chief executive, is delighted with the move. She said: “Sarah has already shown in seven months that she is a passionate advocate for manufacturing, and we have built strong lines of communication with her so she can take our message and the views of our members back to Whitehall. Basing herself at the NMC puts her at the heart of the action and gives firms access to her team to raise issues, highlight positive achievements and discuss the support they need to be competitive.”
She continued: “The NMC is ideally located in her constituency and just a few seconds from a major motorway network, whilst the ‘state of the art’ audio-visual technology and flexible meeting space make it ideal for hosting different meetings and public surgeries.”
Sarah Coombes, who previously worked for Tom Watson as his head of policy and communications for three years, has already visited four local manufacturers to see first-hand the industrial capabilities available in the area. This has included meetings with Steel & Alloy Processing, Robinson Brothers, William King and Fred Smith and Sons, four companies that offer different capabilities but are all critical suppliers to the automotive, aerospace and renewables sectors.
Positive futureShe said: “West Bromwich and the wider Black Country has a strong manufacturing history dating back centuries. It has been brilliant working alongside the CBM and local businesses in the constituency. The NMC is local to our constituents, accessible by public transport and has brilliant facilities. I look forward to working closely with the CBM and the manufacturing sector in West Bromwich, securing a positive future for more jobs, opportunities and growth.”
The NMC has become a popular base for local businesses and one of the Black Country’s leading venues for hosting training sessions, workshops and meetings. Operated by the CBM, its secure private parking and flexibility of rooms, coupled with the latest technology, air conditioning throughout and fabulous catering, has proved a big hit with both SMEs and larger multi-nationals, plus business support groups looking to engage with companies.
Geraldine Bolton concluded: “Sarah and her team will now be sharing the same home as the CBM and this will help us to forge strong links with them to support our local members, whilst also providing a close and personal insight on how policy decisions are impacting our firms – both positively and negatively.
“We have seen how much she wants to support manufacturing and our evolution into a world leading, sustainable industrial power and we look forward to working with her to make a difference. One of our key priorities this year is to bring more like-minded organisations into the shared space at NMC, organisations who can support the local business community by pooling expertise, resources and knowledge. A series of targeted events will be held to promote this drive.”