Automotive technology SMEs secure international orders worth millions

“Building strong international relationships has perhaps never been more important to the UK automotive industry and the UK Pavilions are playing a pivotal role in this process,” commented Ian Constance, Chief Executive of the Advanced Propulsion Centre.

“SMEs who may not normally have the scale, capability or capacity that is required to create and develop major international partnerships are successfully achieving this as a result of the international events programme. Not only are these successes a major boost to the individual companies but they are also of significant benefit to the wider UK economy.”

Since 2016, the APC has supported 233 companies through its international events programme at 23 key global automotive industry events, giving them a presence in key markets including Japan, China, the USA and Germany. The pavilions have enabled the UK companies to showcase their technologies to more than 100,000 key decision makers from OEMs and other supply chain partners from around the world, generating a combined total of more than 5,921 sales leads.

More than a quarter of firms who completed the survey also confirmed that their participation had enabled them to create or safeguard jobs in the UK, adding to the 25,596 UK jobs the APC has already created or safeguarded through its R&D portfolio.

Forty percent of those responding to the APC survey stated that they had developed strategic partnerships with vehicle manufacturers or major suppliers while exhibiting on a UK Pavilion, while 100% of attendees who completed the survey confirmed that they had made new contacts at the events.

The UK Pavilion, which is part of the Government’s Great Business campaign, is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).