Meet the speakers: In conversation with... Paul Adams, head of aerospace and defence, Vendigital

Paul Adams is head of aerospace and defence at Vendigital and is presenting ‘Additive, Brexit and Aerospace Supply Chains’ at Subcon at 11:30 on Thursday 8 June at Subcon. 

Please sum up your conference session in one sentence

Advancing low-cost competition is disrupting global supply chains and investment in 3D printing and other novel manufacturing technology has become mission critical for manufacturers in the aerospace and automotive sectors, but a clear investment strategy is essential.

What practical tips will visitors pick up from your presentation?  

How to take a more strategic approach to manufacturing technology. Understanding the risks associated with additive manufacturing; learning how to equip supply chains to cope with faster production methods and how to bring on capability quickly and securely.

What’s the biggest challenge facing the industry this year?

Looking beyond the revenue streams provided by long term production programmes and facing the growing competition from low-cost territories which is disrupting global supply chains – will UK or European manufacturers lose ground?

And the biggest opportunity?

Learning how to leverage technological advances and supply chain relationships to the full in order to differentiate our offering and build on the UK’s position of manufacturing strength.

Is leaving the EU good or bad for UK manufacturing?

Brexit could mark the end of zero-tariff trading in Europe and this is cause for concern particularly for the many UK suppliers to Airbus. But there is much that can be done to ensure UK-based manufacturers stay on course and limit their exposure to financial risk.

Do you think the industry will suffer if leaving the EU restricts free movement of labour?

Access to skilled labour is vital to the survival of the UK’s high-value manufacturing sector. Employers must have assurances that they will be able to keep existing EU workers on their books and they will continue to have access to a pan-European talent pool in the future.

If you were in Government, what would you do to encourage more women and young people to work in the engineering and manufacturing industries?

Make sure there are plenty of rewarding career paths for them. Give early opportunities to lead and provide the flexibility that young people expect from a career in the 21^st century.

What are you most looking forward to about Subcon 2017?

Sharing views about the challenges and opportunities facing the UK’s manufacturing sector at a time of significant global geopolitical uncertainty.

Paul Adams is head of aerospace and defence at Vendigital and is presenting ‘Additive, Brexit and Aerospace Supply Chains’ at Subcon at 11:30 on Thursday 8 June at Subcon. Register for your free ticket now at www.subconshow.co.uk 

Top 10 Things You Should NOT Do Whilst Exhibiting…

Exhibiting is expensive when you factor in all of the applicable costs. It’s also a fantastic way to generate new business. That's why it's important to maximise your ROI by using your time at the show effectively and that means never doing any of the following:

1 - Don't sit in your stand...
It's all too often I walk around a show and see people sitting at the back of their stand. They are often found arms crossed and very unapproachable. Not everyone is great at face-to-face, but if you book to exhibit you at least have to try. Do something different; stand up, smile at passers-by and hand them a flyer at the very least. It's hard to estimate the amount of orders I’ve generated by giving a prospect a leaflet and asking one simple question: Do you know what we do?

2 - Don't work on your laptop or your phone...
Whilst it's important to keep on top of things that are going on back at the office, it should never be at the expense of potential business at the show. Be aware that whilst your head’s down looking at your email - or worse, Facebook - people are walking past your stand unnoticed. 

3 - Don't be afraid to invite your clients and prospects...
I totally understand why people are nervous to do so… if I bring my customers along with me, will they meet other suppliers? Be confident in your relationship with your clients and the service you provide. Most buyers require additional services which fall outside of your capabilities. If more exhibitors took the responsibility to help bring footfall, then more business would prevail. Personally, I wouldn't invite my top customers – rather the accounts that I would like to develop. I would however, invite everyone I want to do business with, where no official relationship currently exists.

4 - Don’t put promotional items at the front of your stand…
On many occasions, we have put our free promotional material at the forefront in an attempt to bring people over. It worked, but not correctly. By having the promotional items at the front, we missed tracking the all-important data that sheds light on the demographic of our visitors. So, if you plan on giving people a freebie, then do it in a way that helps you to capture their details.

5 - Don't enter someone else's stand to do business… unless invited.
This might seem obvious, but entering someone's stand to tell them about your services is considered bad form at an exhibition. What's worse is when visitors attend to pitch to exhibitors, as it is the exhibitor who has paid for the airtime. I have even witnessed people being thrown out of a show for doing this.

6 - Never leave your stand empty...
This happens more than you can imagine. I have tried to introduce buyers to suppliers at exhibitions, only to find they have nipped off to the coffee shop. Opportunity missed. Almost every time this has happened, the buyer has promised to return in five minutes - yet they seldom ever do.

7 - Don’t leave the show early, even if it is quiet.
We all have this… The days are long and something aches, be it our feet, back or legs. I can only assume that this accounts for exhibitors leaving half an hour before the day ends. Granted, the show has slowed right down, but the odd buyers are still walking around. What happens if the buyer of your dreams drops by, five minutes after you have left?

8 - Don't leave the planning to the last minute… it’s harder than you think.
Planning an exhibition is not simple. More often than not, someone will book a stand a few months before the event, but leave it until two weeks before to prepare. Start planning the second you sign up and have a clear idea of what needs to be done, before you sign your booking form. It should look a little bit like this: 1) Book stand, 2) Plan travel and expenses, 3) Prepare preshow marketing campaign and finally, 4) Plan your in-show approach and marketing.

9 - Don’t ignore the emails from your show organisers…
Normally upon signing up to an event, you will start to receive emails from the event organiser. Try not to file these until later, as the earlier you can do the things they need you to do, the quicker their marketing will work for you. For example, most shows these days provide exhibitors with portals to upload their information; the quicker you do this, the quicker you will be listed as an exhibitor. That way, you maximise your exposure in the all-important run-up to the event.

10 - Don’t sleep on your stand…!
Believe it or not, I have seen this happen more than once. Usually it's one of the stands in the back corner which receive little footfall. These are the guys sitting at the back of their stand, arms folded, who are not taking a proactive approach to promoting their company.

This post was written by Dean Munkley, sales and marketing manager, Qimtek. Qimtek is a partner of Subcon, which takes place 6-8 June at NEC, Birmingham, running alongside The Advanced Manufacturing Show and The Engineer Design & Innovation Show. You can register for a free pass at www.subconshow.co.uk 

Fruits of investment on show at Subcon 2017

Exhibitors at Subcon, the UK’s only show dedicated to subcontract manufacturing, will be offering visitors a range of new services and capabilities following recent investments.

Subcon, which runs from 6 to 8 June at the NEC, Birmingham, is the UK’s only event dedicated to outsourced manufacturing. It serves all sectors and all processes – from machining, sheet metalworking, casting and forging, to plastic moulding, composites and electronics.

This range of manufacturing technologies is reflected in some of the new services and investments being featured at the show.

In fabrication, WEC Group has invested over £11m in equipment and facilities over the last 18 months as the basis for its expansion nationwide, while multi-metal stockholder Kloeckner has just added advanced bending and additional laser cutting capacity to its services.

Precision machining specialist PGT Ceewrite has also invested £11m to completely upgrade its Dorset facility and double its capacity for highly complex wire and spark erosion.

The machining services sector is strongly represented across the show. New services coming on stream include a subcontract CNC cylindrical grinding facility at Perfect Bore and new large-format, heavy-duty machining centres at PRV. PRV has also added a new 5-axis water-jet cutting machine.

Following heavy investment in new technology, specialist subcontract engineering company Mini Gears Group expanded its services so that precision machining accounts for 60% of the business and it will be showcasing its complete new range of machined components at Subcon.

In plastics, a five-year multi-million investment programme at Chess Plastics is nearing completion with the installation of another new Negri Bossi moulder and Meadex has just completed a new clean room suite for plastic and rubber moulding. Hepworth Group has launched a new RIM Moulding Division, which adds an additional manufacturing option to its extensive range of fabrication services.

In other processes, Carlton Die Castings have installed a twin-pallet Mazak machining centre that allows them to supply fully-machined castings ready for assembly. Materials coatings expert NikaWorks has developed a new series of functional coatings for surgical instruments.

Supporting the Subcon show, sourcing specialist Qimtek is sponsoring the VIP Buyer’s Programme and hosting a dedicated Qimtek UK Manufacturing Pavilion.

Subcon runs alongside the Advanced Manufacturing Show and The Engineer Design & Innovation Show from 6 to 8 June 2017 at the NEC Birmingham.

Together the three shows cover the complete manufacturing cycle from concept to component, bringing together design engineering, product development, in-house production and outsourced supply chains.

Over 500 exhibitors will welcome thousands of professional visitors who have current sourcing needs for equipment, software and manufacturing services.

The three shows are complemented by 36 free-to-attend conference presentations in two separate conference streams, bought to you by The Engineer and The Manufacturer.

Find out more about visiting and exhibiting at the three shows at www.subconshow.co.uk , www.advancedmanufacturingshow.co.uk and www.theengineer-designinnovationshow.co.uk .

SUBCON PARTNERS WITH QIMTEK TO HELP BUYERS

Subcon and Qimtek will be renewing their successful partnership for this year’s show

Sourcing specialist Qimtek has announced it will again support two key initiatives within the Subcon show – the Buyers Programme and a dedicated Qimtek UK Manufacturing Pavilion.

The partnership was launched at the Subcon 2016 event and proved to be a great success, bringing high-spending buyers to the show and helping them meet the suppliers who could meet their specific needs.

Subcon, the UK’s only dedicated subcontract manufacturing event, runs at the NEC, Birmingham, from 6 to 8 June alongside the Advanced Manufacturing Show and The Engineer Design & Innovation Show.

Qimtek is a manufacturing network that helps UK-based subcontractors fill capacity and win long-term customers. It represents 450 UK-based suppliers and will be hosting a cross-section of them in the Qimtek UK Manufacturing Pavilion.

The Subcon Buyers Programme, which is being sponsored by Qimtek, offers a unique package of networking opportunities, services and benefits to carefully selected buyers who have been identified as having a high level of spend on contract manufacturing services.

Those invited to join the programme will benefit from exclusive access to the VIP Buyer Networking Lounge where they can hold meetings, talk to colleagues and enjoy refreshments, including a complimentary lunch, as well as free parking.

Ahead of the show, buyers will also receive a shortlist of the suppliers that meet their specified requirements, allowing them to maximise their time at the event.

Buyers on the programme can also attend an invitation-only networking event, sponsored by Qimtek, with free drinks and canapes.

Last year this attracted more than a hundred buyers from companies including British Telecom, JCB, Jaguar Land Rover, Ishida and Oxford Instruments.

Karl Wigart, owner of Qimtek, said: “Our partnership with Subcon in 2016 was a great success and really helped build relationships between buyers and potential suppliers. We are very pleased to be back in 2017 to build on that foundation.”

Subcon Event Director Gordon Kirk added: “Our priority is to ensure that both visitors and exhibitors get the maximum value from attending the show. The initiatives supported by Qimtek have a very real and positive impact on that.”

Register now for your free ticket at www.subconshow.co.uk  

2016 photographs can be downloaded from: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gw551xbrt68zwpe/AABu3-kI03KAh8l06lF_zi6xa?dl=0