CIE Components in Electronics
The presentations run alongside the Subcon exhibition at the NEC Birmingham from 12 to 14 June and are free to attend for registered visitors to the show.
Subcon is the UK’s showcase for contract and subcontract manufacturing services – covering everything from machining, sheetmetal work and pressings, to additive manufacturing, electronics and plastic moulding. The seminar sessions aim to highlight the issues, challenges and opportunities facing the OEMs and higher tier companies that visit the show to source suppliers.
The seminars start on Tuesday 12 June with a keynote address from Ralph Saelzer, Managing Director of the Sunderland works of global crane manufacturer Liebherr and Semta Regional Council member for the North East. Entitled ‘Business sets the skills agenda – how companies can ensure future growth and competitiveness’, this will highlight the need to ensure that the UK supply chain is fit to meet the demands of a growing manufacturing sector, the risks if we get it wrong and the prize if we get it right.
This theme is explored from a different perspective in a presentation by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). As JLR puts in place its ambitious growth plans it needs to be sure that its supply chain can support these plans. In his presentation on ‘Ensuring a secure supply chain to support JLR’s growth’ Michael Mychaljuk, JLR’s Purchasing Risk Manager, will look at what the carmaker perceives the risk issues to be, how it addresses them and what this means for UK suppliers.
Echoing this in the aerospace sector, the importance of strong supply chains and capable suppliers is the focus of a joint presentation by ADS and Aero Engine Controls – the Rolls-Royce/Goodrich joint venture. This presentation looks at the industry-led SC21 supply chain improvement programme and how it works for the suppliers and customers involved.
This is set in a wider context in a Breakfast Briefing by Andrew Johnson, Senior Economist at the EEF, who will give an overview of the outlook and challenges for UK manufacturing. He will present the EEF’s analysis of the current economic climate, look at emerging trends and examine what needs to be done to meet challenges and seize the opportunities that lie ahead.
Among the market openings covered in the presentations are updates on the opportunities in the Oil & Gas sector by Alastair Lang of NAMTEC and a look at how companies can get involved in multi-billion pound fusion energy projects by Dan Mistry of the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy.
Companies are also encouraged to make their own opportunities in a presentation on value chain optimisation, lean and supplier benchmarking from Mark Knowlton of KPS, while Leigh Holloway of ECO3 shows how economic legislation and customers’ sustainability policies can be the source of both risks and opportunities.
Bringing visitors up to date with the technology trends that will have an impact on their business, special briefing sessions look at the relative cost and energy use of additive and conventional machining, how nanotechnology will cross over into engineering and the potential of printed electronics to transform products.
Other highlights include Nick Guttridge of Gardner Group looking at supply chain consolidation in the aerospace sector, a presentation on rapid manufacturing for sheet metal by Roger Onions of the Manufacturing Resource Centre and a look at design as a strategic issue in a joint presentation by Design Council associate Jonathan Ball and Neil Pryke of James H Heal, the world-leading manufacturer of textile testing equipment.
Subcon Exhibition Manager Jon Clark commented: “Once again we have attracted a really top-flight roster of speakers for these Subcon seminars. This really underlines the show’s importance as a focus for one of the most dynamic parts of the UK manufacturing sector. These free seminars provide the quality of content that delegates would be expected to pay hundreds of pounds for at a standalone conference.”
The seminars are free to attend. You can see the full seminar programme, register to attend Subcon and reserve your seminar places at www.subconshow.co.uk .
