Rate readiness roadshow: tackling supply chain risk and resilience in UK aerospace

Join the national Aerospace Growth Partnership and the UK Regional Aerospace Alliances as they collaborate to bring the Rate Readiness Roadshow to help your business and the UK aerospace supply chain.

The aerospace industry currently faces a number of challenges related to increasing production rates, supply chain bottlenecks and resource constraints, resilience and risk management. This was a major theme at the 2025 MAA Annual Conference in March.

Now, the MAA and our AGP's Manufacturing Supply Chain Working Group cordially invite you to this roundtable discussion in Birmingham of how we can all work together collaboratively to address and work through some of these questions.

MAA Chief Executive Dr Andrew Mair is a longstanding member of this working group, which is chaired by Stephen Cowan of GKN, himself a longstanding supporter of the regional aerospace alliances. We'll be hearing not only from Stephen but also from Midlands Tier 1s Moog Aircraft Group and ITP Aero (at least), and we are particularly keen to complement those with good "bottom-up" perspectives from aerospace manufacturers so we all get the full picture.

Similar events are being held around the UK with different industry bodies.

Our host

We are grateful to MAA member Gowling WLG for hosting us in their prestigious Birmingham offices.

Agenda

09:15 Registration, networking

10:00 Welcome and introductions

• Welcome from MAA Andrew Mair, Chief Executive, Midlands Aerospace Alliance
• Welcome from Gowling WLG Tom Cox, Partner, Gowling WLG
• Perspective from GKN Aerospace and the Aerospace Growth Partnership Manufacturing and Supply Chain Working Group Stephen Cowan, Vice President of Supplier Development & Strategic Dual Sourcing, GKN Aerospace Services and Chair, Aerospace Growth Partnership Manufacturing and Supply Chain Working Group
• Government support for the aerospace manufacturing supply chain Matt Pye, Aerospace Team, Department of Business and Trade
• Midlands Tier 1 perspectives Lisa Charlesworth, Head of Fan and Combustion Systems Operating Unit, ITP Aero, Mark Turner, Director - Supply Chain, Moog Wolverhampton
• Status report on tariffs in international aerospace trade Bernardine Adkins, EU Trade and Competition, Gowling WLG
• Results from the AGP survey on rate readiness, resilience and risk Alice Hignett, Project Manager, Aerospace Growth Partnership

11:00 Discussion

• 5 minute natural break . . .
• Breakouts: perspectives from manufacturing suppliers
• On the table will be:
  • Downstream commitment
  • Information sharing
  • Institutionalising learnings
  • Digital tool adoption
  • Localisation strategy
  • Scenario-based planning
  • Firefighting to forward planning
• Feedback from breakouts and discussion

12:00 Concluding

• Taking workshop outcomes forward nationally Alice, Stephen
• Taking workshop outcomes forward in the Midlands Annette Rothwell, Director, Midlands Aerospace Alliance and Chair, MAA Supply Chain Working Group, and Chris Weir, Tim Holmes, MAA Technology Managers

12:15 - 13:00 Networking lunch

This invitation is for . . .

Companies directly involved in the manufacturing supply chain, including special processes and logistics.

You must be a member of the Midlands Aerospace Alliance, another regional aerospace alliance, ADS, or have attended the MAA Conference in March 2025 to attend this event.

To book your place, please contact Jay Locking - Jay.locking@midlandsaerospace.org.uk / 07385 626 627.