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Nissan and Jaguar to speak at North East Automotive expo

Keynote speakers from Nissan and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will feature at this year’s North East Automotive expo, an event focused on servicing the region’s automotive sector.

Organised by the North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA), the event is back for its second year and will take place at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on September 22.

Kevin Fitzpatrick, Nissan vice president for manufacturing in the UK, will highlight Nissan Sunderland’s 30 year landmark and discuss the manufacturer’s supply chain in the morning keynote address.

Whilst Michael Mychajluk, JLR’s supply chain and external engagement manager, will talk about JLR’s supply chain opportunities during the afternoon session.

Kevin said: “It’s good to be able to celebrate the strength of the region’s automotive industry at this year’s Expo. I’m delighted that many supply chain companies will be taking part in this year’s automotive expo.”

Michael commented: “I work with all parts of the UK supply chain and their stakeholders to enable businesses to compete successfully.

“UK suppliers, many of which are SMEs, are an integral and vital part of a healthy and competitive supply chain. OEM sourcing increased from 36 per cent in 2012 to 41 per cent in 2015, showing the supply chain is sharing in the UK automotive industry’s success.”

Richard Parry-Jones, celebrated as one of the world’s leading automotive engineers after spending decades in vehicle and safety development at Ford, will also be speaking at the Expo dinner.

Taking place on September 21 at the National Glass Centre, the event has been organised for 150 industry professionals.

Finally, Lawrence Davies MBE, chief executive of the Automotive Investment Organisation, will be supporting the expo through the company’s involvement in a trade and investment workshop, one of eight focused workshops for delegates taking place during the event.

The expo, sponsored by MAKE it Sunderland, is introducing a technology showcase as a key new development for 2016. Businesses have the opportunity to show their latest developments and give three-minute pitches to a sector-specific audience, providing an unrivalled opportunity to display their innovations to investors, supply chain and manufacturing company representatives.

The Meet the Buyer section of the expo, which proved successful last year, will return with nine companies and 16 buyers represented: Cummins, Gestamp Tallent, Nissan, Jaguar Land Rover, Komatsu, Nifco, Calsonic Kansei, Faurecia and Faltec. Last year, Meet the Buyer resulted in 140 one-to-one meetings leading to exciting new opportunities for businesses in the supply chain.

Paul Butler, NEAA’s CEO, said: “We’re expecting more than 300 delegates at this year’s event, which provides unrivalled opportunities for businesses to make new contacts, raise their profile and win new business.

“The region’s automotive industry employs more than 30,000 people and is responsible for £11 billion in annual sales. The North East is recognised as a major automotive hub, and the NEAA is now the largest cluster of its kind in the UK with more than 170 members.

“We are growing, the industry is growing and events like expo are crucial not just for creating new business opportunities, but to show the automotive sector across the UK that we are here and we are actively seeking new business.”

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