Goodfellow to headline The Advanced Materials Show

Goodfellow CEO Simon Kenney

Goodfellow, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of advanced materials and metals will be headlining a major two-day industrial show this week at the NEC, Birmingham. The company, which works with 6,000 customers around the world, will kick-off The Advanced Materials Show tomorrow (9 July) when its CEO Simon Kenney provides a keynote address on the opportunities and challenges shaping a sector deemed critical to ‘net zero’ ambitions.

He will explore the innovation and insights shaping the future of materials and highlighting how his business is working ever closer with R&D, life sciences and engineers to create solutions that are lighter, kinder on the environment, yet still deliver the same robust performance.

The speech is part of a wider Goodfellow presence at the event, with its materials experts showcasing the company‘s range of more than 170,000 different products (Booth 1128) and the firm hosting a special networking drink session to close the first day. It will also be recording a live ‘how small can we go?’ podcast that will feature a lively discussion on microfabrication trends and sustainability challenges.

Mr Kenney said: “Many of the technologies that will define the next 20 years, like quantum computing, hypersonic travel, and clean energy breakthroughs, will depend on materials that didn’t even exist a decade ago. What was once science fiction - materials that self-heal, adapt to environmental conditions, or conduct electricity better than copper - is now entering real-world applications. These materials are no longer ‘hidden enablers’ — they are strategic assets shaping global competitiveness.

Significant milestone
He continued: “Importantly, advanced materials have been recognised in the UK’s Industrial Strategy as a core pillar of national growth. That is a significant milestone in its own right. We are really stepping up to the plate, with investment in a new ERP system making us more efficient and cutting lead times, and our recent M&A activity delivering new capabilities through US-based Potomac, Bureau of Analysed Samples and Suisse Technology Partners. The last two, in particular, have given us access to ‘state of the art’ laboratories, testing facilities and an unrivalled Certified Reference Materials (CRM) capability.”

Goodfellow, which received an investment from Battery Ventures in 2021, supplies a comprehensive range of metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, compounds, and composites. The company has built a strong reputation as a trusted supplier to firms involved in R&D, advanced engineering, space and the scientific sector, with subsidiaries across Europe, North America and China helping it extend its global reach. From its headquarters in Cambridge, the materials specialist also provides a range of post-processing facilities, including rolling, electroplating, sputtering, heat treatment, plus disk punching, turning, guillotining and sawing.

Dr Aphrodite Tomou, head of technical at Goodfellow, concluded: “Our technical experts are some of the best in the industry and they will all be at The Advanced Materials Show, talking visitors through our metals and materials and our wide range of post-processing capabilities. Magnesium alloys, shape memory alloys, glass-reinforced polymers and protective and functional coatings are some of the fastest-growing products in our range and it will be interesting to see which other materials are in people’s thoughts.”