CBM holds rail opportunities event

The Confederation of British Metalforming is holding the event at its headquarters at 49 Birmingham Road, West Bromwich, on November 22 from 9am to 12.30pm.

Chief executive Geraldine Bolton calculates that £48 billion of contracts for HS2 and the Metro, including new engines, carriages, lineside equipment, tracks, stations and digital infrastructure, will come forward between 2019 and 2024.

“The scale of opportunities is remarkable, and so we're keen to ensure that our members are fully informed about this work, what they need to do to bid for these contracts and how they must engage with the organisations who are awarding them,” she said.

“We held a similar event focusing purely on HS2, but now we're widening the scope to include opportunities being created by the expansion of the Midland Metro Alliance's operations, including its projects in Birmingham, Brierley Hill, Solihull, Wednesbury and Wolverhampton.

“A detailed look at the upcoming supply chain requirements of the MMA, and the timings of their different schemes, will be a central element of our event.

“As always, we're conscious that SME management teams have little time to spare for external activities, so we've kept our schedule very tight. We have several great and well-informed speakers, but this session will last little more than three hours.”

The November 22 event is free to both members and non-members.

Speakers include Rachel Eade, of RED Developments, who has spent more than 20 years specialising SMEs in supply chains in advanced engineering sectors, and Marion Doherty, an international trade adviser with the Department for International Trade, who leads on the infrastructure and energy sectors in the West Midlands.

Rob Emms, managing director of Walsall-based Bernstei, which manufactures safety sensors, switches and enclosures (such as junction boxes and terminal cabinets) for a wide range of industrial uses, will provide a case study on how his company won work from the rail industry.

There will also be presentations from Dr Holly Foss, a teaching fellow at the University of Birmingham, who works in the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, and Alasdair Maclachlan, a business engagement specialist at the University of Birmingham.