Subcon, the UK’s only dedicated national exhibition for contract and subcontract manufacturing, returns to the NEC, Birmingham, from 3 to 5 June 2014.
This year’s event is set to be the biggest yet, with over 300 subcontractors exhibiting and a stronger than ever participation by UK exhibitors.
As ever, the show has built strong bonds with the associations and institutions representing British manufacturers, and provided support to help them promote their members.
These organisations include the GTMA, Made in Sheffield, the BTMA, EIA, CBM and ICME.
A well-established annual event, Subcon covers every aspect of outsourced manufacturing services, from design and prototyping, machining, moulding, fabrication, composites and electronics assembly to finishing and testing.
New for this year is the Subcon Electronics Zone – building on the growing number of contract electronic manufacturers at the show and providing a focus for future growth.
Building on a very successful launch event last year, Subcon will also host The Engineer Conference, a high-level event focused on innovation and design in manufacturing, which will also include the popular Subcon Seminar programme. Top speakers already lined up include Dr Hamid Mughal, Director of Manufacturing at Rolls-Royce plc and Steven Barr, Head of MAS (The Manufacturing Advisory Service).
Subcon has doubled in size in the last five years and is set to attract over 4000 visitors in 2014. Leading decision makers from all sectors come to Subcon to identify potential manufacturing partners and place business.
Grant Burgham, Business Development and Portfolio Director at Centaur Exhibitions, said: “The resurgence in British manufacturing is evident in the confidence of our exhibitors. We are looking forward to a great show and a great conference highlighting some of the real success stories from across all sectors.”
To find out more about exhibiting or visiting Subcon 2014 please visit www.subconshow.co.uk .
Wednesday 14 May 2014
The UK’s most exciting engineering stories
If you want
to know out how to land a vehicle on Mars, design a new lifeboat or recreate an
iconic 1930s aeroplane, then Subcon 2014 is the place to find out.
Subcon
2014, which runs at the NEC, Birmingham, from 3 to 5 June, is the only UK trade
show dedicated to contract and subcontract manufacturing.
The
show covers every aspect of outsourced manufacturing services, from design and
prototyping through to final production and testing, and covers all areas of
manufacturing technologies.
Running
alongside the show is a three-day, free-to-attend conference, organised by The
Engineer, which includes a series of ‘Show & Tell’ sessions on some of the
UK’s most exciting engineering stories.
On Tuesday 3
June, Abbie Hutty, a Spacecraft Structures Engineer on the ExoMars Rover
Vehicle Team, will talk about the massive challenges involved in this project.
She says: “Our
biggest challenges structurally are loads and the thermal case. We hit the
ground at 15g axially (plus 10g lateral) and have individual unit load cases up
to 180g.
Thermally, once on the planet we are exposed to night-time temperatures
of -125 degrees C, and can have daytime temperatures – when we are expected to
be fully functional – as low as -85 degrees or as high as 5 degrees.
“These lead
to massive problems with differential thermal expansion, not just in the
structure, but also in the electronics and exposed mechanisms, such as the
drive motors.
“We also have
to constantly heat our rover to prevent everything from just freezing and have
a power budget of only 700W.”
She adds: “Everything
has to be super-clean so that we don’t contaminate another planet with
Earth-life, so has to be intensively sterilised before launch. I could go
on….Basically everything is a challenge!”
For John
Lawson, the challenge was to reverse engineer one of the most complicated
components in a 1930s aeroplane that never flew. This will be the focus of his
talk on Wednesday 4 June entitled: ‘Recreating the Bugatti 100p – from drawing
board to flying display 1937 – 2014’.
The only
plane designed by the renowned Ettore Bugatti, the 100p was an Art Deco design classic.
Although completed, it never flew and was left to rot in a French barn. Now, 75
years later, a new version of the plane is set to take to the skies.
John says:
“The Bugatti is one of the most sublime, influential and awe-inspiring aircraft
the world has ever seen. What makes it more so is the fact that it never flew.”
His role in
the project has included reverse engineering what is possibly the most complex
component in the aircraft – the nose-mounted gearbox. This component takes the
drive from the twin engines and distributes the drive to twin contra-rotating
propellers.
Peter Eyre is
the RNLI’s Senior Naval Architect and on Thursday 5 June will be talking about
the design principles embodied in the new Shannon All-Weather Lifeboat.
“The Shannon
is designed to operate in the roughest and most challenging conditions that are
likely ever to be found around the coast line of the UK and Ireland,” says
Peter.
There are two
main design considerations, he says: “Firstly strength and robustness are
critical, not just for the primary structure of the hull, deck and wheelhouse
but also for all the fittings and systems aboard the vessel that are subject to
extreme slamming accelerations in all directions.
“Secondly,
and most importantly, the crew need protection from these dangerous motions
too.”
Other sessions
focus on the creation of a revolutionary air-breathing rocket engine for
re-usable space vehicles, the application of high technology in elite sport and
the story behind the Crossrail project. The Conference programme also includes
keynote addresses by speakers from Rolls-Royce, Siemens and Pratt &
Whitney, as well as presentations on supply chain and re-shoring issues.
To register
for your ticket for the Subcon exhibition and book your chosen conference
sessions, please visit: www.subconshow.co.uk
Captions:
1 – Abbie
Hutty of Airbus Defence & Space with two of the prototype ExoMars Rovers
2 – John
Lawson reverse engineered the complex gearbox on the Bugatti 100p
3 – The
Shannon Lifeboat is designed to operate in the most challenging conditions
around the UK coast
UK subcontractors drive manufacturing growth
UK manufacturers are set to place more work with UK subcontractors and have a high degree of confidence in the strength of the economy, according to new research.
The survey, carried out by the Subcon exhibition, showed that 47.3% of visitors to Subcon 2013 show planned to increase the amount of work they placed with UK subcontractors in the next 12 months.
The strong tendency was to place more work with local suppliers. When the question was opened up to cover placing work with all subcontractors, regardless of location, this figure only increased to 47.8%.
With Subcon 2014 taking place at the NEC, Birmingham, from 3 to 5 June, the signs are that it is ideally timed to take advantage of this upsurge in business for subcontractors. This year’s event is set to be the biggest yet, with over 300 subcontractors exhibiting representing every aspect of outsourced manufacturing services, from design and prototyping, machining, moulding, fabrication, composites and electronics assembly to finishing and testing. Subcon 2014 also sees a stronger than ever participation by UK subcontractors who are expected to represent some 70% of the total number of exhibitors.
The growing size of the subcontract sector reflects the advantages that come from using specialist third-party manufacturers to produce your products.
Asked why they placed work with subcontractors rather than doing it in-house, the reasons cited included more flexibility, staying focused on core business, cost, quality and the ability to meet delivery deadlines. As one respondent explained: “We outsource our manufacturing to UK subcontractors in order to focus on product development and service, while keeping capital costs down.”
Another key reason cited was that companies are simply too busy to carry out the work in-house.
This bears out the other findings of the survey relating to business confidence.
66% of respondents thought that the UK economy would improve in the next 12 months – up from 24% a year ago. A similar figure, 67%, thought that the UK manufacturing sector would improve in the next 12 months – up from 32% a year ago.
Subcon visitors were most positive about the outlook for their own companies, with 68% expecting business to improve in the next 12 months.
Grant Burgham, Business Development and Portfolio Director at Centaur Exhibitions, the organiser of Subcon 2014, said: “Manufacturers are looking to take advantage of a buoyant economy to grow their businesses. Subcontractors give them the capacity, flexibility and expertise to help them achieve this. Subcon is the UK’s only dedicated showcase for contract and subcontract manufacturing and I am certain that the timing is right for Subcon 2014 to be the best event yet for our visitors and exhibitors alike.”
For more information please visit www.subconshow.co.uk
Notes to editors
The research was a carried out among visitors to the Subcon 2013 exhibition between 5 and 10 March 2014.
Subcon is the UK’s national subcontracting, advanced manufacturing and technology exhibition. It covers every aspect of outsourced manufacturing services and technology from design and prototyping, machining, moulding, 3D printing, fabrication, composites, electronic assembly and finishing to software, testing, inspection and metrology. Subcon takes place on 3-5 June 2014 at the NEC in Birmingham. For more information please visit www.subconshow.co.uk
In 2015 Subcon will run alongside The Advanced Manufacturing Show, the biennial event for machine tools, tooling and metrology equipment and a new annual event, The Engineer Design and Innovation show, that will focus on the tools, service and products that are essential to bring a product to market.
The three shows will take place on 2-4 June 2015 at the NEC in Birmingham.
For more information please contact:
Ali Brathwaite, Centaur Exhibitions
Tel: +44 (0) 207 970 4186
ali.brathwaite@centaur.co.uk
Andy Sandford, Sticklebacks Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 1737 270 648
Mobile: +44 (0) 7971 436 644
andy@sticklebacks.com
The survey, carried out by the Subcon exhibition, showed that 47.3% of visitors to Subcon 2013 show planned to increase the amount of work they placed with UK subcontractors in the next 12 months.
The strong tendency was to place more work with local suppliers. When the question was opened up to cover placing work with all subcontractors, regardless of location, this figure only increased to 47.8%.
With Subcon 2014 taking place at the NEC, Birmingham, from 3 to 5 June, the signs are that it is ideally timed to take advantage of this upsurge in business for subcontractors. This year’s event is set to be the biggest yet, with over 300 subcontractors exhibiting representing every aspect of outsourced manufacturing services, from design and prototyping, machining, moulding, fabrication, composites and electronics assembly to finishing and testing. Subcon 2014 also sees a stronger than ever participation by UK subcontractors who are expected to represent some 70% of the total number of exhibitors.
The growing size of the subcontract sector reflects the advantages that come from using specialist third-party manufacturers to produce your products.
Asked why they placed work with subcontractors rather than doing it in-house, the reasons cited included more flexibility, staying focused on core business, cost, quality and the ability to meet delivery deadlines. As one respondent explained: “We outsource our manufacturing to UK subcontractors in order to focus on product development and service, while keeping capital costs down.”
Another key reason cited was that companies are simply too busy to carry out the work in-house.
This bears out the other findings of the survey relating to business confidence.
66% of respondents thought that the UK economy would improve in the next 12 months – up from 24% a year ago. A similar figure, 67%, thought that the UK manufacturing sector would improve in the next 12 months – up from 32% a year ago.
Subcon visitors were most positive about the outlook for their own companies, with 68% expecting business to improve in the next 12 months.
Grant Burgham, Business Development and Portfolio Director at Centaur Exhibitions, the organiser of Subcon 2014, said: “Manufacturers are looking to take advantage of a buoyant economy to grow their businesses. Subcontractors give them the capacity, flexibility and expertise to help them achieve this. Subcon is the UK’s only dedicated showcase for contract and subcontract manufacturing and I am certain that the timing is right for Subcon 2014 to be the best event yet for our visitors and exhibitors alike.”
For more information please visit www.subconshow.co.uk
Notes to editors
The research was a carried out among visitors to the Subcon 2013 exhibition between 5 and 10 March 2014.
Subcon is the UK’s national subcontracting, advanced manufacturing and technology exhibition. It covers every aspect of outsourced manufacturing services and technology from design and prototyping, machining, moulding, 3D printing, fabrication, composites, electronic assembly and finishing to software, testing, inspection and metrology. Subcon takes place on 3-5 June 2014 at the NEC in Birmingham. For more information please visit www.subconshow.co.uk
In 2015 Subcon will run alongside The Advanced Manufacturing Show, the biennial event for machine tools, tooling and metrology equipment and a new annual event, The Engineer Design and Innovation show, that will focus on the tools, service and products that are essential to bring a product to market.
The three shows will take place on 2-4 June 2015 at the NEC in Birmingham.
For more information please contact:
Ali Brathwaite, Centaur Exhibitions
Tel: +44 (0) 207 970 4186
ali.brathwaite@centaur.co.uk
Andy Sandford, Sticklebacks Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 1737 270 648
Mobile: +44 (0) 7971 436 644
andy@sticklebacks.com
Hot topics, top speakers
Siemens, Pratt & Whitney,
HS2, Rolls-Royce to speak at Subcon
Top executives from some of the world’s leading companies – including Rolls-Royce, Siemens and Pratt & Whitney – will be giving keynote presentations at this year’s Subcon exhibition.
Top executives from some of the world’s leading companies – including Rolls-Royce, Siemens and Pratt & Whitney – will be giving keynote presentations at this year’s Subcon exhibition.
Following on from its
very successful launch at last year’s show, this year’s conference, which is free
to attend and organised by The Engineer, takes a close look at the hot topics,
big ideas and disruptive trends that are driving the engineering and
manufacturing agenda.
These include
Industry 4.0, energy storage, advanced manufacturing techniques for jet engines,
and the UK’s most ambitious, game-changing, and possibly most controversial
infrastructure project, the HS2 high-speed rail line.
Subcon, which runs
from 3 to 5 June at the NEC, Birmingham, is the UK’s national subcontracting,
advanced manufacturing and technology exhibition. It covers every aspect of outsourced
manufacturing services and technology from design and prototyping, machining,
moulding, 3D printing, fabrication, composites, electronic assembly and
finishing to software, testing, inspection and metrology.
This year’s event
is set to be the biggest yet, with over 300 subcontractors exhibiting and a
stronger than ever participation by UK exhibitors.
The latest speaker
to be confirmed at the conference is Dr Alan Epstein, Pratt & Whitney’s
Vice-President, Technology & Environment, who will be flying in from the US
to speak on new technologies for today’s cutting-edge jet engines.
Other keynotes
include: Siemens’ Divisional Director for Industrial Automation, Brian
Holliday, explaining the what, why and how of Industry 4.0; David Clarke, Chief
Executive of the Energy Technologies Institute, looking at the options, challenges
and prize of energy storage; Stephen Barr, Head of the Manufacturing Advisory
Service on Reshore UK, and the Technical Director of HS2 Ltd, Andrew McNaughton.
To finish on a
particularly high note, the final keynote speaker is Hamid Mughal, Head of Global
Manufacturing at Rolls-Royce.
Alongside the
keynotes, ‘show and tell sessions’ focus on inspiring projects, including the
design of a new lifeboat, the application of high technology to performance
sport and the recreation of a lost iconic aeroplane, the Bugatti 100p. More
details will be released in the next few weeks.
To register for the
Subcon 2014 exhibition and to book your free places for conference sessions of
your choice please visit www.subconshow.co.uk
Notes to editors
Subcon is the UK’s
national subcontracting, advanced manufacturing and technology exhibition. It covers every aspect of outsourced
manufacturing services and technology from design and prototyping, machining,
moulding, 3D printing, fabrication, composites, electronic assembly and
finishing to software, testing, inspection and metrology.
Subcon takes place
on 3-5 June 2014 at the NEC in Birmingham. For more information please visit
www.subconshow.co.uk
For more information please contact:
Ali Brathwaite,
Centaur Exhibitions
Tel: +44 (0) 207
970 4186
Andy Sandford,
Sticklebacks Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 1737
270 648
Mobile: +44 (0)
7971 436 644
andy@sticklebacks.com
Electronics Zone debuts at Subcon
This year’s Subcon show sees the
launch of a complete section of the show specifically dedicated to electronics
manufacturing.
Subcon 2014, which runs at the NEC,
Birmingham, from 3 to 5 June is the only UK trade show dedicated to contract
and subcontract manufacturing.
The show covers every aspect of
outsourced manufacturing services, from design and prototyping through to final
production and testing, and covers all areas of manufacturing technologies.
The number of electronics industry
exhibitors has grown year-on-year,
to the extent that the organisers have now created a dedicated Electronics Zone
within the show to highlight these exhibitors and provide a focus for future
growth.
This covers all aspects of EMS and
contract manufacturing of electronic assemblies, embedded systems and components,
as well as ancillary items such as connectors and cabling.
In contrast to shows that focus
solely on the electronics sector, these exhibitors are presented in a context
where buyers, designers and supply chain teams have access to the complete
range of manufacturing services they need to create their products.
This includes moulding, machining,
sheet-metal fabrication, 3D printing, composites, tool-making, press-working
and electro-mechanical systems.
Electronics industry exhibitors at
Subcon include EMS specialists Adapt EMS, DVR, Batchbuild and LCL Elecronics –
which has just invested in a super-fast I-pulse M20 SMT placement machine that
allows it to place components of any shape or size on boards up to 1.5m long –
and, from Latvia, the Gazelle Award-winning Electronic House.
Embedded specialist Arrival Electronics
is launching its Mi-embedded, a design solution which, for just £6,000, gives
customers their own semi-customised embedded board in just five weeks.
Also launching at the show is the new
grid simulator from ETPS that allows the behaviour and response of equipment
powered by the mains to be evaluated in controlled conditions.
Catalogue component supplier Würth
Elektronik will showcase its vast range of electronic and electromechanical
components, while companies including Cabletec, Phoenix and Cornelius
Electronics will show a wide range of bonding leads, cable and wiring
assemblies and moulded connectors.
Subcon also hosts The Engineer
Conference, a world class and
free-to-attend conference focusing on innovation and design in
manufacturing. This year’s speakers include senior executives from Rolls-Royce,
Pratt & Whitney, Siemens, Jaguar Land Rover, BAE Systems, HS2, Crossrail,
Airbus Defence & Space, the RNLI, and the Manufacturing Advisory Service.
Grant Burgham, Business Development
and Portfolio Director at Centaur Exhibitions, said: “Subcon is the only event where
visitors can evaluate and source new electronics suppliers in the context of
the wider manufacturing industry. We are very pleased with the growth we have
seen in the number of electronics exhibitors at Subcon, which shows we are
meeting a real need, and look forward to growing the Electronics Zone further
in years to come.”
To find out more about Subcon 2014,
register for your free ticket, and book your conference places, please visit www.subconshow.co.uk
ENDS
Captions:
Subcon Arrival - Embedded specialist Arrival Electronics is
launching its Mi-embedded service at Subcon
Subcon LCL – LCL will be offering
the capabilities of its new super-fast SMT placement machine at Subcon
New capacity on stream for Subcon
With UK manufacturing continuing to surge ahead, exhibitors are coming to Subcon on a high and using the show to highlight new investments.
And although the news focus is
often on new technologies and sectors, much of this strong growth is coming
from the traditional metal-based sectors.
Subcon 2014, which runs at the
NEC, Birmingham, from 3 to 5 June, is the only UK trade show dedicated to
contract and subcontract manufacturing.
The show covers every aspect of
outsourced manufacturing services, from design and prototyping through to final
production and testing, and covers all areas of manufacturing technologies. In
the metals engineering sector, technologies covered span all aspects of
machining and fabrication, as well as associated areas such as materials
supply, treatments and the manufacture of mould tools.
Exhibitors are investing to meet
growing customer demand, and anticipating new business from their participation
at Subcon.
Precision machining specialist WLR
has responded to customer demand with significant machine tool investments that
include a Matsuura MX520 5-axis vertical machining centre, while gear
specialist Ondrives has installed a new Niles-Kapp profile grinding machine
that will take the company to the next level in terms of precision for
demanding applications, such as aerospace. This follows other recent
investments, including a Mori Seiki 5-axis milling machine that can machine complex
work pieces in two setups.
Sheet metal specialist Akramatic
is exhibiting at Subcon 2014 off the back of a record year for business and
expects this success to continue this year and beyond. In anticipation, it has
invested in new equipment, including an Amada 100-tonne 3m press brake, NC tube
bender and a new 7.5-tonne delivery vehicle.
The WEC Group, which specialises
in fabrication, laser and waterjet cutting, CNC machining and heavy
engineering, has bought an additional six-acre site in Blackburn. It plans to
build a new 120,000 sq ft plant to allow it to continue its growth in sectors
including in aerospace. WEC opened two new factories in 2013 and its waterjet
division, which was launched at Subcon 2013, has recently won a £750,000 order
from the offshore industry.
Aluminium specialist Edmo is
expanding too, having just opened a new plant in the Black Country that will
take on 30 new staff. This follows extensive investment at its Ross-on-Wye
headquarters, including new powder coating plant, bar length and paint lines,
as well as, most recently, new pre-treatment tanks.
Davis Scientific has also just
completed a substantial programme of investment. The heat treatment specialist,
which is coming to Subcon with new owners and management, has refurbished its
vacuum furnaces and cryogenic facilities, installed a new furnace and upgraded
its tempering oven installation – by operating relatively small furnaces it can
run plant to meet customers’ specific delivery schedules.
Grant Burgham, Business
Development and Portfolio Director at Centaur Exhibitions, the organiser of
Subcon 2014, said: “As companies ramp up their production to meet increasing
demand they want to find suppliers who have the capacity and technology to meet
that demand. With so many exhibitors investing to enhance their capacity there is
even more on offer for visitors to the show.”
For more information please visit
www.subconshow.co.uk
ENDS
Caption: The WEC Group’s waterjet division has just won a £750,000
order
Notes to editors
Subcon is the UK’s national
subcontracting, advanced manufacturing and technology exhibition. It covers every aspect of outsourced
manufacturing services and technology from design and prototyping, machining,
moulding, 3D printing, fabrication, composites, electronic assembly and
finishing to software, testing, inspection and metrology.
For more information please contact:
Ali Brathwaite, Centaur
Exhibitions
Tel: +44 (0) 207 970 4186
Andy Sandford, Sticklebacks
Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 1737 270 648
Mobile: +44 (0) 7971 436 644
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)