West Midlands businesses positioned for global growth after ‘Breaking into Defence’ event
More than 60 ambitious businesses from the West Midlands gathered at an event designed to boost SME participation in international defence markets and to strengthen the UK’s sovereign defence capability.
The 'Breaking into Defence: Enter Overseas Markets with the Ministry of Defence' event, delivered by Oxford Innovation Advice, addressed key priorities championed by Make UK Defence - supporting smaller manufacturers to become export-ready, to build resilient domestic supply chains and ensure UK innovation is embedded within global defence programmes.
Delivered in partnership with business support programmes across the West Midlands, including the Investment Readiness Programme, the event provided SMEs with direct access to Ministry of Defence export specialists, global primes and regional growth advisers.
David Woodbridge, SME engagement team leader from the UK Ministry of Defence Exports team, said: “With over 60 SMEs in attendance and some great interaction and feedback, I think we can confidently say we met our joint objective of helping firms in the region with their business growth."
Global aerospace and defence group Safran, which has a large manufacturing base at Fordhouses, Wolverhampton, shared insight into how SMEs can successfully integrate into international programmes and long-term frameworks during the event and John England, general manager for Safran in the UK, said: “We would not be successful without the small and medium enterprises that supply into Safran, contributing to making the products that we produce and deliver to our customers. It was a great event and very helpful for SMEs.”
Glenn Aston, chief executive officer at Birmingham-based advanced engineering firm Rowan Precision, added: “We don’t currently supply into the MOD, so this latest gathering certainly opened my eyes to see what the options and opportunities could be for us."
The event, supporting SMEs to scale, innovate and export, was organised to ensure the region remains a critical component of the UK’s advanced manufacturing and defence ecosystem.
Jane Galsworthy, managing director of Oxford Innovation Advice, said: “SMEs play a vital role in strengthening the defence sector’s industrial base in the UK. We are committed to connecting ambitious businesses with the right insight, partners and support to access global defence supply chains and scale.”
