On Tuesday June 5th ADS welcomed 19 member UK aerospace companies to its first trade forum of the year. ADS, the Department of International Trade (DIT), the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and Boeing formed a panel to communicate our collaboration over the last few months to promote UK aerospace business in the USA.
Opportunities at international exhibitions
Since February ADS has worked closely with DIT and BEIS to consolidate our calendars of international exhibitions, air shows and more targeted trade missions. This trade pipeline is now taking shape and was first unveiled to the attendees of the trade forum on Tuesday. By combining these events we improve visibility to our members, as well as coordination of our efforts with government to connect UK capabilities with the right opportunities. As part of this, ADS buys and subsequently sub-lets space to companies for a cost effective and impactful exhibiting solution at trade shows. For example, at the upcoming Zhuhai Air Show in China in November, ADS has over 250 square meters for a UK Pavilion.
Trade Missions
DIT spoke to the member companies in attendance about the ongoing engagement and planning for trade missions to prime and tier one US companies. These events are more selective based on the customer requirements, and so DIT rely on ADS and regional trade bodies to ensure the right capabilities, from local SMEs to large companies, are uncovered and forwarded for consideration.
Boeing and the UK
BEIS and Boeing also delivered an insightful presentation on the history of Boeing’s relationship with the UK Government, and the growing partnership after the Prosperity Agenda announcement at Farnborough 2016. Boeing continues to strengthen and deepen its relationship with the UK through its advanced actuation manufacturing plant in Sheffield – its first and only outside the USA.
Throughout the forum, attendee companies were engaged, providing suggestions for DIT to improve their planned trade mission plans and they put forward ideas for a more extensive and symbiotic relationship between Boeing and the UK supply chain.
