Parliamentary support for new manufacturing supply chain partnership

BRITAIN’S biggest industrial trade association, the West Midlands-based Confederation of British Metalforming, has received parliamentary support for its strategic partnership with one of the UK’s most advanced R&D centres.

Adrian Bailey, who represents West Bromwich West, said the Catapult tie-in between the Confederation for British Metalforming (CBM) and Strathclyde University’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) was a model for the future.

The West Bromwich-based CBM is the country’s largest association in the metalforming sector, and its 200 members employ some 40,000 people, and have a combined turnover of £3.3bn.

The AFRC partnership has been devised to help suppliers in the automotive, aerospace, rail, energy and defence sectors meet the present and future demands of global manufacturers.

Speaking at the launch of the partnership, Mr Bailey, who also chairs the influential Commons Select Committee for Business, Innovation & Skills, said: “The slogan for Catapult is ‘Be big and bold and enterprising’, and its research into value-added products and processes will help British manufacturers to always remain one step ahead of their overseas rivals.

“The creation of this relationship between the CBM and the AFRC is vital, to meet the needs of the OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and their supply chains.

“If it succeeds, and I certainly believe that it will, it is a model that can be reproduced across the country in the future, and the potential benefits are huge.”  

Other speakers at the launch included Tata Steel’s business development manager, Andy Woods, Rolls-Royce’s manufacturing engineering programme manager, Steven Halliday, and Stadco’s facility director Mark Hemming.

Also present was Robin Wilson, now lead technologist in high-value manufacturing for the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) – which leads the Catapult programme – but who spent 25 years working for Lucas, Rover Group, BMW and Sumitomo, and on projects with Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and Volvo.

“We are the innovation agency and we get £300m a year from the government to drive change into the UK’s manufacturing sectors,” he said.

“Our core strategy is to help move firms from concept to commercialisation, and we can provide funds for projects which the banks and the venture capital houses wouldn’t touch.

“I see great things ahead for this partnership, and I also extend an open invitation to CBM members to approach me with their innovation needs.”