Strength and growth in numbers

Made in the Midlands, the Midland’s fastest-growing single industry network, will be returning to the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on 20^th June 2019 for the 10^th edition of its Made in the Midlands Expo.

For over a decade, the organisation has hosted the event as a platform to showcase its members from the UK’s manufacturing industry and bring together businesses to help unite and strengthen the community in the region.

Made in the Midlands is a membership-led organisation which represents the interest of more than 500 manufacturers throughout the region with its members representative of many of the diverse sectors which characterise this complex industry. The networking ethos is strong throughout the group, with members encouraged to make use of the diverse range of businesses and skillsets in order to collaborate for mutual gain. It is a simple approach, which is tried and tested and proved consistently successful.

Jason Pitt, CEO, Made in the Midlands says: “We have had such a variety of strong companies sign up to join over the years and it’s very encouraging to see the community grow. We hope many more will follow suit and join the MIM network during this landmark edition of the show.”

Lee Price, sales director, adi Group comments: “We work in isolation a lot of the time and I think these events certainly give you the opportunity to interact with tens if not hundreds of individuals throughout the industry. It’s a vital part of accelerating and promoting growth in the Midlands area.”

Alan Norbury, central technology officer at Siemens agrees: “It’s a great environment for people to collaborate, meet like-minded people and get together to bounce ideas off each other.”

This special edition of the Expo will see 250 members exhibiting at the event, over 2,000 attendees and a programme of leading speakers from across the manufacturing sector taking part.

Companies such as Starrag UK, a company with years of technological innovation under its belt and backed by an experienced and highly trained team of UK engineers, will be hosting a ‘meet and greet’ on its stand for visitors to learn how the company can advise on best machining practices for faster cycle times, greater accuracies and reduced manufacturing costs.

To name just two of Starrag’s product ranges, Heckert machines have been developed specifically for general subcontract applications and for use by supply chain partners to automotive OEMs, for example. Not only do the machines offer users claimed throughput increases of up to 10% through reduced machining times and up to 10% savings in service and tool costs, but they also promise energy cost savings and, importantly, are available on short delivery timescales and at reduced investment costs.

Visitors will also be able to meet Pro Enviro to discuss its recent selection as the sole Approved Supplier for Phase 2 of the Staffordshire Business & Environmental Network (SBEN) Low Carbon Business Evolution Programme.

The report will include sophisticated analysis of energy consumption plus recommendations for cost saving energy efficiency measures. There is also very generous grant funding available via this programme, again subject to qualifying criteria, to financially support businesses that proceed with implementation of any recommended energy efficiency changes.

The powerful demonstration of manufacturing in the Midlands impressed the thousands of visitors who filed through the exhibition hall during the course of the show last year, looking to find out more about firms in the region.

Several visitors were so impressed by what they saw that they agreed to join the MIM ranks on the spot – testament to the growing strength and influence of the collaborative network.

Visitor registration is now open via the weblink below.

Made in the Midlands
www.madeinthemidlands.com