Lockheed Martin holds event to support UK space SMEs

Antonia Yendell, from the UK Space Agency at the event in Leeds

The opportunities provided by Lockheed Martin UK to involve SMEs in the fast-growing space industry have been praised by the UK Space Agency's Antonia Yendell at a recent industry event in Yorkshire.

Ms Yendell, head of space ecosystem at the agency, spoke at a one-day supplier event in Leeds, which brought together invited companies to explore opportunities to provide products and services to Lockheed Martin.

She thanked the company for its unprecedented support of SME businesses and highlighted how Lockheed Martin has, "fully embedded itself within the UK space ecosystem".

“It’s a mark of real distinction for a prime contractor such as Lockheed Martin to host an event of this nature and to provide SMEs with direct access to opportunities,” she said.

"They are actively supporting the growth of the supply chain and helping to connect companies across the UK with potential export opportunities. We are very grateful for the level of support that Lockheed Martin continues to provide."

Attendees – who came from as far afield as Southampton and Manchester to attend the event which was organised in conjunction with supply chain partner RTC (North)– heard from Lockheed Martin’s Chris Banther, director of supply chain management and Jan’l Dixon Hebron, supply chain director who had both flown in from the USA to present at the event.

They represented a wide range of the sectors Lockheed Martin wants to engage with, including technology, software, engineering, aerospace and electronics.

Companies were able to access information about how to become a Lockheed Martin supplier and how the company is committed to growing its supply base and supporting UK companies which had products and services suitable for export to the USA.

Currently Lockheed Martin Space has more than 7,000 global suppliers and is focused on growing the number of suppliers it has in the UK.

“We are committed to strengthening local economies by creating a diverse supply chain,” said Mr Banther.

“We are looking to create long term partnerships and to significantly grow our number of partners.”
Emlyn Taylor, Lockheed Martin UK’s chief of operations, said the day had offered the 70 plus attendees a real opportunity to engage with the company and find out how it could open doors across the globe.

“When capabilities meet ambition industries are created,” he said. “The UK is a really special place, we have special skills and special minds, and these are the people we want to engage with.”
Companies which attended on the day were delighted to have been given the opportunity.

Chris Wiles, business development manager at Cheshire-based Hyde Aero Products which is a supplier build to print components and assemblies to the space industry found the day extremely useful.

“We have some pedigree in the space sector and are already on the Lockheed Martin supplier’s portal, but it has been very exciting to hear about the planned supplier growth and how we could be part of it,” he said.

His words were echoed by Vitor Correia of Critical Software Ltd an international mission-critical flight software company based in Southampton that has worked with Lockheed Martin in other countries.

“The UK market is an extremely important one for us as a company which works extensively in space and defence,” he said. “Events like this really help to open doors and allow us to find the right route to build those lasting relationships.”