MAA conference puts regional aircraft parts makers under microscope
Dr Andrew Mair (right), Chief Executive of the Midlands Aerospace Alliance, says the opportunities come from the booming market in passenger aircraft. The big aerospace players like Airbus and Boeing now have an unprecedented eight year, 12,000 aircraft backlogs worth more than £1 trillion. This backlog is so big that making the all the aircraft would keep the entire Midlands economy going for three whole years, according to Mair.
The threat is that the big players increasingly want to buy their parts and components from large suppliers that can operate at the same global scale they do. “Our 300 smaller supply chain companies still have huge experience and know-how to offer, but many need to up their game, and others need to find new market niches in the production system where their talents can excel”, he adds.
The third annual Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA) conference is dedicated to exploring exactly this challenge. It brings together industry leaders who have the expert insights to guide supply chain companies in making crucial business strategy decisions for the future. They include some of the most senior names in the industry:
• Tony Wood is President - Aerospace at Rolls-Royce, based in Derby, one of the world’s big three aircraft engine makers and the only one of them based in Europe. Tony Wood is the top aerospace manager at Rolls-Royce. He will be exploring some of the 'mega trends' impacting the global aerospace industry, and discussing how Rolls-Royce is adapting to the opportunities and challenges facing both the company and its supply chain.
• Geoff Hunt is Vice President, Engineering at UTC Aerospace Systems, a big division of the American aerospace giant United Technologies, where he is responsible for engineering and new technology. UTC Aerospace Systems has major factories in Wolverhampton. Geoff Hunt will discuss how one of the world’s biggest suppliers of technologically advanced aerospace and defence products analyses long-term global changes and demographic trends to design and build better products.
• Neil McManus is Senior Vice President Asia, GKN Aerospace, one of the UK’s main suppliers of aircraft components. His role gives him excellent insights into the competition the UK faces from growing aerospace industries in “emerging market” countries like China. Neil McManus will be giving his recommendations on how all the different players in the UK aerospace industry, from large to small companies and government, can work together to ensure that smaller suppliers, especially, do what is necessary to succeed in the global market.
• Andy Moran is Head of Supplier Development, Airbus UK. His job is to use the resources of the giant European aircraft maker to helping improve the performance of aircraft parts manufacturers in places like the Midlands. Andy Moran will be setting out his thinking on why and how Airbus plans to work with partners to help suppliers at all tiers of the UK aerospace industry ensure they are ready to supply the global markets of the future.
“If the whole Midlands manufacturing economy is going to continue to benefit from the growing demand for big civil airliners across the world, we have to make sure the work continues to flow into the heart of the supply chain,” says Mair. “And there is a lot of competition out there not only from the emerging and low-cost economies but also from our European neighbours like Germany and France. Our supply chain companies need the best advice they can get about where their future lies and the help they can get – and that’s what this conference is all about.”
For the conference agenda see: www.midlandsaerospace.org.uk/events/conference-2015
