Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation (BCIMO), the company who operated the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre (VLRIC) in Dudley and went into administration in July 2025, has been sold to Dudley Council. This sale comes after a focused marketing process and sees both the business and assets sold to the Council and secures the future of the VLRIC.
The VLRIC remained operational throughout the three week period of administration and will continue to do so in the future, with Dudley Council now seeking an operator for the facility. It remains home to former Midland Metro tram 16 which is to be testbed for a number of new technologies and has previously been used to repair some of the current fleet of trams for the West Midlands Metro.
Cllr Steve Clark, Cabinet Member for Resources at Dudley Council, said: “The council has previously provided financial support to BCIMO and so, when the board of directors put the organisation into administration, we made the decision to put in a bid for the business and assets to protect this investment.
“The bid was successful and as the owner of the site, we will now be receiving income from the existing tenants, while looking for an operator to take on the responsibility of operating the site.
“This was an invest to save decision, which will generate income for the council now and into the future, champion local innovation and support the creation of high value employment opportunities in our borough.”
Deviesh Raikundalia, Restructuring Advisory Director at RSM UK and Joint Administrator, said: “We are delighted to have secured a sale that ensures the continued operation of the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre and preserves its reputation as a leading innovation centre. We are grateful to the occupiers of the centre and stakeholders for their support, patience and cooperation throughout the administration process, and we wish Dudley Council every success with this venture.”