Much of this growth can be attributed to the eleven Board of Directors whose contributions are voluntary and who come with a desire to support the industry, the dedicated small team of staff and the members who have been actively engaging in events, exhibitions, initiatives and providing invaluable feedback as to what they want the Association that represents them to deliver.
Notably we have seen a record number of bookings since November for the 2018 awards dinner (held on 31st October, Birmingham), already filling the front row of tables and beyond. Our Annual Conference (18 April 2018, Rotherham) will look at securing the future of the UK composites industry, developing the supply chain, building the infrastructure to support said supply chain and case studies from companies leading the way in composites manufacturing.
In terms of exhibitions, we’re proud to be again working with the Department for International Trade, National Composites Centre, and new partners Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine on the UK Pavilion at JEC World 2018 Paris this March, making this the largest Pavilion yet. The 138m2 stand will house 20 UK companies - 16 of which are Composites UK members - and a Williams F1 car on display. If you’re attending please stop by the Pavilion in Hall 6A, Stand S72.
We’re also continuing to support the Advanced Engineering Show (31st Oct – 1st Nov 2018, Birmingham NEC), particularly the Composites Engineering zone. Our members receive a 15% discount on exhibiting at this show, which applies to both space only and shell scheme areas. The show has the full support of the industry with 90 of our members already booked to exhibit. As in previous years we will be assisting with the free-to-attend forum programme to showcase UK strategy and innovation.
This year sees the fruition of much hard work that has been undertaken by our working groups and sub-groups. The Health and Safety Working Group is supporting the launch of the 2018–2021 Safety in Manufacturing Plastics and Composites (SiMPLC) strategy where we’ll be conversing with industry to find out the top priorities in health and safety for the composites industry.
The Construction Sector Group will unveil its Bridge Design Guide for the design, procurement, execution, and monitoring and inspection of new bridges where components, in the form of shapes or systems, are made using fibre reinforced polymer composites.
2018 will be the first full year for the new Sustainability sub-group whose next event in March will look at lifecycle analysis and designing for the environment.
So, a busy year, but an exciting one for Composites UK and this just scratches the surface of the activities taking place. As always, we encourage companies within the composites industry – both members and non-members – to reach out to us with any feedback or concerns so that together we can continue to drive UK composites forward.
Dr Faye Smith, Composites UK Chairman, Feb 2018
