Helping an industry through COVID-19

Like many industries, companies within the composites supply chain had to make hard decisions that were best for them and their employees.

Those who are able to carry on do so, some companies having closed temporarily whilst putting in place social distancing measures. Other companies have had to impose month-long shutdowns where there has been a break in their supply chain and manufacturing cannot continue, or sourced new, local suppliers.

With the mass of information being released from Government on how they are prepared to support UK industry, here at Composites UK we worked tirelessly to bring the relevant details to our members through e-bulletins and social media, alongside opportunities through organisations such as Make UK and BEIS.

We fed back responses from various surveys we conducted of our members to Government highlighting the key concerns of industry e.g. provision of COVID-19 testing kits, so those who were healthy could continue to or get back to work. Other industry requests were tax and National Insurance holidays, clear ways to access the support available, help with insurance rules, assistance for the self-employed, cash flow disruptions and processing of R&D tax credits.

On an organisational level, the whole Composites UK team continued working at full capacity, albeit from home. The biggest impact on the Association has been the postponement of events. Like many who organise networking meetings it is hard to know when these will be rescheduled, but we have been working with the venues to secure dates in the Autumn. It has even allowed us to team up with others to make the networking stronger. For example, our Aerospace Interiors Sector Showcase will now be held alongside ATI’s UK Cabin Opportunities event in October, maximising opportunities for attendees with minimal time away from the office.

For events unable to be rescheduled, such as our annual conference and AGM, we used this as a chance to try out webinar delivery. It also opened up an opportunity to host discussion forums for members. Our intention is to now develop a calendar of online content that will continue in the months ahead.

One thing that has come to light during this time is how generous and collaborative the UK composites industry is when a crisis arises. We’ve seen members respond in droves to a Government call for stepping up production of vital medical equipment, as well as a call for methods in rapid sanitisation technology for ambulances. Those who’ve had to close their doors donated excess PPE to their local NHS Trust. Not least, there has been an outpouring of support for contacts through social media channels like LinkedIn who have been hit the hardest by COVID-19.

We at Composites UK have never been prouder to represent you.

www.compositesuk.co.uk