Exports from the West Midlands are set to outpace those of European powerhouse Germany within five years, as the region’s manufacturers tap into the appeal of a “Made in Britain” stamp for Asian buyers.

随着英国西米德兰兹郡(West Midlands)制造商利用“英国制造”(Made in Britain)的标签发挥其对亚洲客户的吸引力，预计该地区出口增幅将在五年内超过欧洲经济发动机德国。

According to an Ernst & Young report, exports from the region will increase 8.1 per cent a year by 2017, compared with 0.3 per cent for the UK and 2.3 per cent for Germany.

根据安永(Ernst & Young)的一份报告，到2017年该地区的全年出口增幅将达8.1%，相比之下，英国将为0.3%，而德国则为2.3%。

Most economists say the outperformance in the West Midlands is part of the “Jaguar Land Rover effect”, with the region’s largest manufacturing company forecast to sell 100,000 cars in China this year.

大多数经济学家表示，西米德兰兹郡不凡表现是“捷豹路虎(Jaguar Land Rover，简称JLR)效应”的一部分。这家该地区最大的制造企业预计今年对华汽车出口将达10万辆。

The success of JLR – the Indian-owned carmaker with factories in Castle Bromwich and Solihull – demonstrates the importance of wooing foreign multinationals to use the UK as a manufacturing platform, said Professor Nicholas Crafts of Warwick university.

英国华威大学(Warwick University)教授尼古拉斯·克拉夫兹(Nicholas Crafts)表示，作为一家印度人控股的汽车制造商，JLR的成功显示出吸引国外跨国公司把英国作为制造业平台的重要性。JLR在Castle Bromwich和索林哈尔市(Solihull)均建有工厂。

“Over the past 15 years the region’s goods exporters have invested in competing at the niche manufacturing end of automotive and engineering sectors and this is now paying dividends,” said Sara Fowler, senior partner in EY’s Midlands office.

安永米德兰兹办公室高级合伙人萨拉·福勒(Sara Fowler)表示：“过去15年中，出口商们对有发展潜力的汽车和工程产业制造领域开展投资竞争。这种做法如今已开始收到回报。”

JCB, the privately owned Staffordshire company that makes excavators, sells 75 per cent of its UK production overseas. The company owes much to its presence in markets such as India. “It’s fair to say the West Midlands is undergoing a renaissance in manufacturing, largely on the back of the automotive sector. There is a corridor of companies up here, all of whom are selling components to the big car manufacturers,” said John Kavanagh, director of communications at JCB.

杰西博(JCB)是史塔福郡一家私人持股的挖掘机制造公司，它生产的产品有75%销往海外。该公司从印度这类市场的份额中获益良多。杰西博新闻主管约翰·卡瓦纳(John Kavanagh)表示：“可以说，西米德兰兹郡制造业正在复兴，这很大程度是得益于汽车业的复兴。这里的不少公司都在向大型汽车制造商出售配件。”

China, already the region’s second-most important export destination, is forecast to overtake the US to become the West Midlands’ biggest export market in two years, says EY.

安永表示，中国目前已成为西米德兰兹郡第二重要的出口目的地，预计两年内中国将取代美国成为该地区最大的出口市常

The success of JLR has inspired small automotive companies, such as niche manufacturer Morgan, based in Malvern, which has a Chinese distributor. Dudley-based Westfield Sports Cars uses the same overseas model to sell its car kits, making 200-300 vehicles a year, with customers in Japan and Malaysia.

JLR的成功启发了许多小型汽车企业。比如总部驻莫尔文(Malvern)的制造商摩根(Morgan)，该公司有一家中国代理公司。而总部驻达德利(Dudley)的韦斯特菲尔德运动汽车公司(Westfield Sports Cars)也采用同样的海外模式销售汽车组件，该公司汽车年产量为200到300辆，其顾客来自日本和马来西亚。

Professor John Bryson at the University of Birmingham said other sectors were benefiting’ “Companies in Birmingham’s jewellery quarter are also actively exporting,” he said.

伯明翰大学(University of Birmingham)教授约翰·布赖森(John Bryson)表示，其他产业也在从中获益，“伯明翰珠宝角(Jewellery Quarter)的公司也在积极加强出口”。