BAE Systems, Made in Britain, Make UK, sustainability, industrialising innovation and the youth skills gap will take centre stage at Subcon this year.

Make UK CEO Stephen Phipson CBE will present a state of the industry address at the show, taking place at the NEC Birmingham from 14-16 September. This will be a highlights of this year’s conference programme which also includes sessions on sustainability, e-vehicles, additive manufacturing, industrialising innovation, managing the cost of supply chain disruption and the skills gap. The presentations will be delivered by some of the UK’s leading manufacturers and engineers and its most innovative disruptors.

The 2021 Subcon conference is a three-day, two-theatre, 20-session programme showcasing cutting edge innovation and best practice from the worlds of engineering, manufacturing and supply chain management. It is free to attend for all show visitors and the agenda can be viewed online at the website (www.subconshow.co.uk/sessions-2021).

Some of the sessions in The Engineer Expo Theatre are: PrintCity story: how industry and academia are collaborating to bridge the digital skills gap, fuelling innovation in engineering and manufacturing; managing the cost of supply chain disruption – globalisation, decarbonisation and innovation; advancing to Industry 4.0: the 5G factory of the future; and additive manufacturing – moving beyond geometry for the printing of functional, multi-material products.

Two major themes weaving their way through both conference theatres are sustainability and the skills gap, particularly in relation to the importance of attracting and retaining young people into the sector.

Made in Britain CEO John Pearce: “I think there is an awful lot of optimism around at the moment, despite all the difficult times we are going through. Made in Britain is part of that relentless optimism about the future of British manufacturing and making things closer to where they are actually needed rather than from the other side of the planet, which is challenging for all sorts of reasons, not least of which is the carbon footprint of products coming in from thousands of miles away.

“My goal is to tell the story of Made in Britain. There is a fabulous, strong, interesting and meaningful story of manufacturing in Britain under the Made in Britain mark. What is the UK economy without British manufacturing? These are essential things we are making – components, machinery and products – that are essential to human existence and the human experience.”

Those wishing to attend Subcon 2021 can register via the website (www.subconshow.co.uk).