Composites UK at 30

Claire Whysall, communications manager of Composites UK heralds the Organisation’s 30^th anniversary - and the exciting news of a new Chairman to help lead the industry over the next two years.

This year Composites UK turns 30-years old. From starting life as the Composites Processing Association in 1989 to becoming Composites UK in 2007, recent years have seen a 20% growth in membership numbers per annum in an industry which now has over 1,500 companies within its national supply chain.

To celebrate the Association’s 30th year there will be a special anniversary event and dinner on 3rd June at the Brandon Hall Hotel in Coventry. The afternoon meeting will have presentations from leading UK composites specialists and companies, taking a look back at 30 years of the UK composites industry and the opportunities for the next 30; developing OEM supply chains for future growth; growing a manufacturing business in the global market; developing the workforce; material development and supply and a circular economy for composites.

This is to be followed by the Association’s members-only Annual General Meeting (AGM) and a celebratory dinner in the evening which is open to all.

The AGM will formally introduce Ben Wilson as its new Chairman for 2019–2021. Ben, the Business Leader at MPM Ltd has grown up with composites, being part of a family business established by his father in 1978. Under his direction since 2010, the business has more than trebled turnover with 20% year on year growth and is still experiencing record sales and beating targets every month. His collaborative leadership style and sheer determination, combined with his ability to create an award-winning culture in business are some of the reasons that Ben has been voted to lead the Association as it strives to achieve its goals.

Having been part of the Composites UK Board since 2015, Ben has a clear vision for his term as Chairman.

As ever the AGM announcement coincides with the launch of the 2019 nomination process for the four places on the Board which are up for election for this term. Representatives from member companies are encouraged to nominate themselves for consideration to influence the running of the Association going forward. The Association Board is made up of 11 Directors each serving a term of two years. An application form is available from the Composites UK website or by contacting the office.

Continuing the celebration of the UK composites industry the application process for the 2019 Composites UK Industry Awards is now open with the winners to be announced at the annual Awards Dinner on 30th October at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham. Categories include innovation in composites materials, manufacture and design, environmental, health and safety and employer of the year as well as personnel awards for employee and trainee of the year. Again, the application forms can be found on the Association website.

The Board of Composites UK and the operational team behind its day-to-day running would like to thank its member companies for their involvement and input over the years in forming a collective voice for this exciting and innovative industry with many more years of success to come.

www.compositesuk.co.uk