Supply Chain conference set to outline £bn growth...

Making the most of new opportunities in automotive, aerospace and offshore wind will form the focal point of a major new conference by the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS).

Manufacturers from across the West Midlands are being urged to attend the free event on April 30th, which will detail how companies can prepare themselves to take advantage of £bn of new contracts to supply components into next generation vehicles, aircraft, turbines and ancillary equipment.

Delegates will get to hear from a host of experts, including MAS’ Lorraine Holmes, the Midlands Aerospace Alliance’s Dr Andrew Mair and two keynote speakers from a leading car manufacturer and aerospace prime.

There will also be an introduction to the recently launched GROW:OffshoreWind initiative, which is designed to provide manufacturers with access to technical advice, innovation support, supplier matching and grants of up to £500,000.

“The UK is currently sitting in a very good position for attracting new manufacturing investment and we want to make sure our smaller companies also benefit from it,” explained Lorraine Holmes, Area Director of MAS.

She continued: “This event will look to outline the opportunities, but importantly also examines the challenges of entering these markets, the type of quality accreditations you may need and other nuances that could mean the difference between winning work or not.

“We’ll be announcing the main OEMs later this month and they will explain the type of supplier they’re looking for. They will then be joined by two companies, who are currently supplying into these markets so they can give the ‘warts and all’ view of whatit’s like at the coalface.

“John Russell, the former Chief Executive of Manganese Bronze, will be hosting the event and bringing his years of automotive and senior level manufacturing experience to the discussion.”

The MAS conference, which will be held at RAF Cosford- will also give delegates the chance to break out into a number of interactive workshops.

These will focus on ‘Learning more about GROW:OffshoreWind ‘, ‘Getting to grips with TS16949’ and ‘Introducing SC21’, a growing pre-requisite for operating in the aerospace and defence sectors.

There are 150 spaces available and these are limited to senior directors at manufacturing companies only. To book your attendance, please visit http://www.mymas.org/events/mas-supply-chain-conference-how-to-enter-new-ones.