Growing up together

摘要

This year's Subcon exhibition, running from 12 to 14June at the NEC, Birmingham, will showcase a subcontract and contract manufacturing sector that is ready for growth. As the government invests to support the UK's advanced manufacturing supply chain and major companies such as Jaguar Land Rover announce massive expansion plans in their UK operations, the question arises as to whether UK suppliers are ready for the challenge. On the basis of the evolution of the Subcon exhibition over the past five years it is clear that Tier 2 and 3 subcontract and contract manufacturers have already embraced the changes needed to play a major role in a rebalanced economy. Subcon's focus is on the companies that provide manufacturing services to higher-tier manufacturers and OEMs. Whereas with the primes and OEMs their intellectual property is in the product and the brands, the intellectual property of the subcontractors lies in the processes they offer and their ability to deliver high-quality components to the precision requirements of the customer.