The West Midlands should lead the way in boosting Britain's trade with India, Regional Minister Liam Byrne has said.

Speaking following a trade mission to the country, Mr Byrne said India's recent investment in the region demonstrated how important good trade links were.

His visit followed recent high profile trade delegations to India by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Trade Minister Lord Jones of Birmingham.

Both delegations set targets for rapidly growing trade over the next decade and the visits were seen as the latest stage of a campaign to accelerate investment in new jobs and in the West Midlands.

During the past two years, Indian investment into the West Midlands has more than doubled in terms of the numbers of companies setting up in the region.

More than 1,000 jobs have been created since 2006 by 14 companies, meaning there are now nearly 30 Indian-owned businesses in the region, including State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Tata Steel, Mahindra & Mahindra and Aditya Birla.

With the expected acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover by Tata Motors just weeks away, the trend is set to continue.

During his visit, Mr Byrne held talks with government, community leaders and key business people in Delhi, Mumbai and Chandigarh, along with Advantage West Midlands inward investment officers and representatives from UK Trade & Investment.

Two key meetings were with Tata and ICICI Bank, which has opened two branches in the region in the last 12 months and is seeking to open a third.

The Minister also explored the creation of new partnerships with universities and a joint centre to research climate change and green engineering.

Mr Byrne said: "The rapid growth of inward investment from India into our region over the last couple of years shows just how important a market this is for us.

"Boosting trade is one of the keys to new jobs in the Midlands and India could be the biggest game in town."

"Trade with India is already booming. It's worth £25 million a day with the UK and it's growing fast. In the West Midlands we've got the ideas, the skills, the people and the history that puts us in pole position to lead the way for Britain," he added.

One engineering name forever synonymous with the region, GKN, is one firm leading by example.

The group's GKN Driveline has opened a new £12 million state-of-the-art production factory at Oragadam, near Chennai, in Tamil Nadu.

The new plant employs 200 people and will manufacture 660,000 sideshafts a year for customers in south India.

GKN chief executive Sir Kevin Smith, speaking at the plant's opening, said: "GKN is proud to be at the heart of India's growing automotive industry.

"We have been doing business here for more than 100 years and have watched with pride as India has taken its place as one of the world's fastest growing economies."

Located on a 15-acre site, the new facility has has special design features including a high, two-ply insulated roof to improve ventilation and to help keep the factory cool.

Ravindra Ojha, managing director for GKN Driveline's operations in India, said: "Our business in India has grown at an annual rate of more than 15 per cent over the past five years.

"We expect to sustain that exceptional rate of growth over the next few years as well." GKN Driveline employs 650 people at three factories in India - Delhi, Faridabad and Dharuhera. Production at a plant in Gummidipoondi, near Chennai, has been transferred to the new Oragadam facility.