Made in the Midlands Sponsor Business Person of the Year Category at Express & Star Business Awards 2018

MIM announces biggest-ever Expo after record year in 2017

Following a record breaking year, Midlands manufacturing and engineering member association Made in the Midlands has announced its biggest ever exhibition, to be held at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on June 21, 2018.

The event will see more than 250 member firms exhibiting to in excess of 2,500 delegates at the Made in the Midlands Exhibition 2018, following a decision to expand floor space within the arena to 4,000 sq ft.

The move comes after the Made in the Midlands 2017 Exhibition, also held at the Ricoh Arena in June this year, saw double the amount of delegates on the previous year, with 2,000 Midlands engineering and manufacturing decision makers attending to source, supply and collaborate with other Midlands firms and 200 Made in the Midlands members exhibiting to raise their profile, make new connections and win business.

Made in the Midlands has enjoyed an extremely successful 12 months, exceeding 400 member companies for the first time, as it continues on its mission to unite Midlands industry and create a lasting legacy. The organisation now counts companies including Jaguar Land Rover, Moog Aircraft Group, ZF, GKN, Dennis Eagle, Mahle Powertrain, Yamazaki Mazak, Autins, Ricoh, Sertec, Dura, Gestamp, Hadley Group, Arlington Industries, Lander, Liberty Group and around 400 other firms amongst its members. Over the past 12 months, Made in the Midlands has also recorded over 1,000 visitors at 36 best practice Breakfast Morning events, showcasing members factories and enabling the sharing of best practice - in addition to being awarded a place on the government’s’ APMG policy group in order to represent the industry Midlands industry at national level.

CEO Jason Pitt comments: “From ensuring that our members are better represented to government, to connecting decision makers from all corners of Midlands industry, the past 12 months has been a huge success. In the coming 12 months, we look forward to launching our Inclusivity Campaign in order to raise awareness of the competitive advantage that can be gained from employing a diverse workforce and what we believe is a huge step towards tackling the existing skills gap in Midlands industry. We will also hold our largest ever Exhibition, will be establishing a regular presence in Westminster via Made in London and continue to expand our support team, which has doubled in size over the past year alone.

“Looking at the names of the companies that are now joining Made in the Midlands, it is clear to see that there is a huge appetite for industry to collaborate, network, share best practice and start championing the great things that are engineered or manufactured in this region. From an SME metalworking firm to a global OEM, there are now elements of Made in the Midlands that everybody is able to benefit from. We are proud to sponsor the Express & Star’s Business Awards 2018, particularly the Business Person of the Year category - our region is host to a wealth of innovative, ambitious and successful entrepreneurs and business leaders and it is great to be able to recognise this.”

Exhibiting at the Made in the Midlands 2018 Exhibition is available only to members of Made in the Midlands. To enquire about the benefits of being a Made in the Midlands member, visit madeinthemidlands.com.