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Rachel Eade from Accelerate
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The first automotive supplier forum of 2010 is set to be held next month, with the recovery of the industry and the emergence of new opportunities the main talking points.
Accelerate, hosted by Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, will stage the event in partnership with the Manufacturing Advisory Service-West Midlands and Business Link on Tuesday February 2nd with places available on a first come first served basis.
Companies involved in car component manufacture are being urged to attend so they can talk about their experiences from the last three months, including fluctuations in sales, forthcoming production schedules and gaining access to finance.
Experts will also be on hand to talk in more detail about
growing opportunities in low carbon and the availability of R&D
Tax Credits, which may offer a potential source of growth for local
firms.
“Recent forecasts and anecdotal information from the supply
chain are all pointing towards increases in output, especially in
the export market where our companies are at last starting to
benefit from a favourable exchange rate,” explained Rachel
Eade, Programme Manager at Accelerate
“Whilst there has been an increase in positivity, we are still hearing about firms going to the wall and making redundancies so the worst is far from over.”
She continued: “The Supplier Forum, which is being held at Birmingham Chamber, will be the first opportunity we have had to get companies together to discuss the end of 2009, the start of 2010 and their expectations for the rest of the year. Like always, we are expecting a frank discussion.”
Delegates will be able to listen to Simon Griffiths (MAS-WM) and David Wright (Coventry University) talk about two new initiatives aimed at exploiting low carbon technologies.
There will also be an insight into how companies can take advantage of R&D tax credits, with the possibility of backdating the claim for more than two years.
Rachel concluded: “When the talks are complete, we will open the floor to an extensive Q&A for all our speakers and will also give firms the chance to access one-on-one support after the event.”
Places are limited to West Midlands automotive manufacturers and can be booked by contacting Accelerate on 0121 607 0123 or by emailing pwest@accelerate.uk.net. Delegates should arrive at 7.45am for 8am start.
