Welcome to the Friday Brief for week-ending 6 September.
There has been cheering news this week from positive figures relating to the UK manufacturing, covering particularly the automotive and aerospace sectors. The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for the UK also reached a two and half year high in August with both output and new orders rising at their fastest rates since 1994.
We have news that the UK Manufacturing Zone at MACH 2014 has welcomed its latest exhibitor, namely Rolls-Royce the aero engine manufacturer. Rolls-Royce now joins other leading OEMs in the Zone including Airbus and Messier-Bugatti-Dowty. The Exhibition is certainly expanding its networking opportunities and providing the starting point for building stronger supply chains.
The MTA’s commitment to developing innovative apprenticeship opportunities and supporting education and training more widely was highlighted in this week’s Manufacturing Supplement in The Guardian newspaper. The MTA’s Director General, Graham Dewhurst, was interviewed for the Supplement, which also provided favourable publicity for MACH 2014.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has released details of the application process for the latest round of bids through the Regional Growth Fund. We have further details including Lord Heseltine’s top tips for successful bids.
The August edition of the MTA Business Survey is now open and you can access the on-line form at http://www.mta.org.uk/mta-business-survey-august13; even if you can’t (or would rather not) answer all the questions, you can still contribute towards the overall picture of the sector - please try to do this by Monday 9th September.
Dates for your diary include the MTA Golf Day on 26 September, the next Members Quarterly Meeting on 9 October which will be held at SECO’s UK Headquarters in Alcester and the Annual Forecast Seminar on 22 October, the venue for which will be Mazak’s European Headquarters in Worcester. Finally, the MTA’s Annual Dinner will take place at the ICC Birmingham on 6 February 2014.
Have a good weekend.