Diversifying markets
The Midlands is home to one of the largest aerospace clusters in the world and supporting every tier of the supply chain to innovate, grow and succeed is at the heart of the MAA’s mission.
SUPPLY CHAIN TRANSITION PROGRAMME
The Supply Chain Transition Programme (SCTP) aims to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the West Midlands to diversify their customer base by winning new orders in growing areas of the economy.
The programme is run by Business Growth West Midlands, a West Midlands Combined Authority initiative funded by the Commonwealth Games Legacy Fund. It covers multiple sectors and the MAA is leading on aerospace.
Other delivery partners also offer support in various sectors including Coventry and Warwickshire Business Solutions (CWBS) for the Electric Light Vehicles and Very Light Rail sectors and Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) for the Micromobility market.
The aim
SCTP Aerospace aims to help 40 businesses to enter the aerospace or space sectors, which are two of the focus clusters specified in the West Midlands Plan for Growth.
Published in 2022, the Plan for Growth pinpoints the economic clusters where the region can ignite above-forecast levels of growth. These are clusters where the West Midlands has comparative advantage and businesses are confident to invest. Combining the power of private and public sectors around these opportunities gives the region a credible path to returning to being the fastest growing region in the country outside London.
Experts in the SCTP Aerospace project team are assisting participating companies with:
- Identifying the best market opportunities for their businesses.
- Aligning their strategies and operations to meet industry-specific requirements.
The approach
SCTP Aerospace involves a comprehensive programme of business support designed to maximise participating companies’ opportunities for success.
- Webinar series: A series of webinars have been organised covering a variety of topics important to the aerospace industry including an introduction to aerospace/space, advanced manufacturing, continuous improvement, quality, digitalisation, intellectual property, sales and marketing, innovation funding opportunities, sustainability, and more.
- Bespoke support: A minimum of three hours of one-to-one bespoke support is available to eligible companies focused on their requirements.
- Opportunities to meet potential customers: Visits have been organised to aerospace industry primes and tier 1s as well as meet-the-buyer events, which offer exclusive opportunities to meet major companies and potential customers.
- Networking events: Numerous networking events are being organised throughout the programme, some of which include opportunities for companies to exhibit so they can showcase their products, services and capabilities.
The impact
- Opening up aerospace for more SMEs: Aerospace is known for being a complex industry with high barriers to entry which can create insurmountable obstacles for some SMEs. The SCTP is working to break down these barriers by giving companies a greater understanding of critical aspects of the industry, helping them make contacts and take advantage of exclusive opportunities to access major customers.
- Helping companies identify new suppliers: As the SCTP offers options for SMEs to meet customers, exhibit and network, their products, services and capabilities are presented to a new audience, one which is actively looking for aerospace solutions. Not only is this a great opportunity for participating SMEs, this gives potential customers the chance to identify new suppliers.
- Enhancing the voice of SMEs in the region: The MAA is a key partner working with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to deliver the Plan for Growth and fuelling innovation in the region. In supporting the WMCA through the SCTP, we create another avenue for being a voice for aerospace SMEs across the region and for ensuring the needs of these companies are considered by policymakers.
