Press Release      << Back

East Midlands businesses urged to take advantage of new composite opportunities

26/11/2009

New initiatives to support the development of composite materials have been announced today and East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is urging companies to take advantage of the increasing range of opportunities in this growing sector.

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson launched a UK Composites Strategy outlining the Government's support for British firms involved in manufacturing, with the aim of maintaining the UK's global lead in this growth field. 

It is estimated that the high-value composites market is currently worth about £1 billion to the British economy. The UK offshore composite wind turbine blade and aerospace wing market alone could be worth £22 billion by 2020 - highlighting composites' low carbon credentials. 

At their simplest level, composites are made from at least two materials that together produce a product with much improved properties. Composites are increasingly used for their lightweight, super strength properties in applications as diverse as racing cars, yachts, aircraft and wind turbine blades. 

In the East Midlands, there is significant expertise in composites technology, based mainly around transport technologies (aerospace, automotive, rail and marine) with businesses such as Rolls Royce, Advanced Composites Group and others, leading the way in this sector.

The region also boasts renowned centres of excellence such as University of Nottingham's Institute for Materials Technology and Loughborough University's Institute of Polymer Technology and Materials Engineering. The recently-launched emda-supported national Manufacturing Technology Centre which is being created in Ansty will soon add to this expertise and further support UK manufacturing competitiveness.

Lord Mandelson also announced an investment of £22 million to support the composites sector. This includes £5 million for businesses to develop new composites manufacturing techniques, (to be won via the Technology Strategy Board's new 'Grand Challenge' competition), and £1m upfront funding to help develop bids for this. A further £16 million is being used to establish a new National Composites Centre which will be situated in the south west of England.

In addition, England's Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), including emda, have committed to spend an additional £500,000 for a new national supply chain initiative for the industry to support development of capability and ensure sustained competitiveness of UK manufacturing. This complements at least £28m already being invested by RDAs across the regions over this period, as well as the role played by business support programmes such as the Manufacturing Advisory Service, to help manufacturing businesses to identify and deploy best practice technology.

Speaking about the launch of the new Composites Strategy, Bryan Jackson, Chairman of emda, which also leads on manufacturing policy for the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), said: "The RDAs welcome the launch of this Composites Strategy. We recognise the significance of composites as a manufacturing sector, and the increasingly important role it will play in the future.
 
"On a regional level, I know that all RDAs are working hard to increase the competitiveness of our manufacturers. The growth in demand for strong, light composite solutions in a range of applications offers exciting new opportunities for manufacturing businesses throughout the supply chain." 
 
ENDS
 
About emda
 
East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England, set up in 1999 to bring a regional focus to economic development.

Ten years on, independent evaluation shows emda has:

· Had a significant impact on the region's economy

· Generated economic benefits that substantially outweigh its overall costs

· Put back over £9 of economic output (or GVA) into the regional economy for every £1 it spends

· Produced more than £1 billion in economic benefits per year

• A wider impact on people, places and businesses in the East Midlands that cannot be captured by figures alone.

emda is committed to supporting the region through the current downturn and has put in place a range of measures to provide real help during these challenging times. 

Over the long term, emda's aim is to deliver the 2006 Regional Economic Strategy (RES) by working in partnership with public, private and voluntary organisations. The RES highlights the themes of productivity, sustainability and equality and sets out key priorities until 2020 to ensure the vision for 'a flourishing region' can be achieved. 

For more details visit www.emda.org.uk

About the UK Composites Strategy

1. The UK Composites Strategy published today sets out how Government will support the composites industry by building on previous measures to support this industry.  A co-ordinated approach bringing together Government, the regions, industry, research institutes and academia will provide the focus needed to take full advantage of the commercial opportunities. To view the strategy please go to www.bis.gsi.gov.uk  
 
2. The new National Composites Centre, based in Bristol area, will work across all sectors with an interest in composites, with backing from industry. It will provide manufacturing facilities on an industrial scale, capable of building prototypes to validate design concepts and rapid manufacturing process.
 
3. The Government's New Industry, New Jobs policy paper published in April 2009, aims to support areas of the economy which have the potential to see significant growth and make best use of UK talents and expertise.  The Composites Strategy is one part of this broader strategy.