West Midlands subcontractors to show their skills at MACH 2010

Newcastle-under-Lyme's KMF Precision Sheet Metal, Laranca (Solihull), Precision Micro (Birmingham), PP Electrical Systems (Walsall) plus the 10-firm group MAN, will join The Manufacturing Advisory Service – West Midlands (MAS-WM - www.mas-wm.org), Semta, Advantage West Midlands and UK Trade and Investment at the 'Made in the Midlands' Zone, stand 4665, hall 4. "The diversity and quality of West Midlands' manufacturing never ceases to amaze me, and we have been able to put together a striking collective example of what the region is capable of, something we can showcase to the rest of the world," said Simon Griffiths, chief executive of MAS-WM. "Visitors to the Zone can enjoy coffee from KMF's bespoke machine; see F1 parts made by Laranca Engineering, who will also be displaying a vintage racing BMW, and world class metal components from Precision Micro. There will also be a robot on display, supplied by KUKA, and a control panel for a CNC machine from PP Electrical Systems. "Finally, we will also showcase MAN and in particular the unique way 10 companies, initially with business support funding, have come together to win work in every engineering discipline imaginable. Together they employ more than 600 people and are now completely self-financing. This collaboration has already resulted in £10 million of new orders." Precision Micro, one of the largest specialist component manufacturers in Europe, is looking to use its presence at MACH 2010 to build on a successful 12 months that has seen it increase export sales significantly. The company, which employs 160 people at its new state-of-the-art facility by Fort Dunlop, has combined world class standards with new innovative processes to offset the recent downturn and win new European contracts in electronics and renewable energies. "We are delighted to be part of the 'Made in the Midlands' Zone and see it as an ideal opportunity to showcase our manufacturing technologies, promote our position as a European market leader and establish new business opportunities," said Lee Weston, sales and marketing co-ordinator, explained. "A lot of our success has been down to our ability to pioneer developments in chemical etching, electroforming and mechanical forming, achieving exacting standards that clients in the automotive, aerospace, communications, medical and other high-tech engineering industries are taking advantage of. "To be able to demonstrate this expertise with other class-leading manufacturers from the region is an exciting move and one we believe should happen every year." Image: Precision Micro's Marcus Heather shows Michelle Connors of Inside Manufacturing Enterprise (IME), around the company's factory - IME is a regional company visit programme designed to give both businesses and schools access to some of the best manufacturing and engineering companies in the West Midlands.