A golden opportunity for West Midlands’ manufacturers

Aerospace still remains one of the most important manufacturing sectors to the West Midlands economy according to a leading industry specialist.

Simon Griffiths, chief executive of the Manufacturing Advisory Service – West Midlands (MAS-WM), believes the sector has fared better than most from the recent recession and holds billion pounds worth of new opportunities for a supply chain that numbers over 400 companies.

The rallying cry was made on the eve of the Farnborough airshow, where more than 20 regional specialists will be showcasing their expertise and products to more than 100,000 potential buyers thanks to a link-up between MAS-WM and the Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA).

Seen as the most effective way of harnessing the West Midlands' diverse capabilities, the iconic stand will feature firms ranging from CHH CoNeX and Aluminium Special Products to Premier Aerospace and MAN, a ten-strong group of manufacturers.

“Aerospace sales for the UK this year are up 5.4% to £22.5billion, with 70% of that work set to be completed for overseas markets,” explained Simon Griffiths. “Farnborough is seen as one of the truly global events, where new models such as the Airbus A380 and F22 Raptor will be unveiled. There will also be an unprecedented opportunity to meet with aircraft manufacturers and major tier 1s in a bid to win work that filters down the supply chain.

“It was about time the region had a major presence at the show and working with the MAA we believe we've pulled together some of the most dynamic companies in the West Midlands, companies that provide state-of-the-art flight systems, hi-tech titanium components and precision safety parts.”

Griffiths also used the opportunity to urge local businesses to follow in the footsteps of its famous predecessors who have been behind the invention of the airplane and the jet engine by Sir Frank Whittle. He points to an already-present commitment to designing new products and services, not to mention some of the most cutting-edge research and development facilities in the world.

“We have to be more proactive in promoting what we do in the aerospace market so we can stake our claim to be involved in the aircraft of the future. Our supply chain is world class in every aspect and we are building on this by continuing to roll-out the Supply Chains for the 21st century (SC21) programme in the region.”

www.mas-wm.org

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