MTC hosts largest edition of Meet the Toolmakers event
The MTC hosted the largest edition of the Meet the Toolmakers exhibition, seminar and networking event on 15th November 2018.
Organised by the Gauge and Toolmakers Association (GTMA), along with the British Plastics Federation (BPF), the annual event brings UK plastics moulders face-to-face with tool making specialists in a day designed to help these co-dependent businesses connect.
Almost 200 people attended, far exceeding numbers from previous years.
The event was introduced by Julia Moore , GTMA CEO and Wilf Davis, Chairman of the BPF Moulders and Specialist Processors Group, also Managing Director of Broanmain Plastics.
Ken Young, Technical Director of the Manufacturing Technology Centre then spoke of the many as-yet unexploited opportunities presented by 3D printing before Business Development Manager, Henry Sarel-Cooke, GKN Wheels & Structures discussed the automotive industry’s use of composites and the need to develop tooling capacity within the UK.
Later in the day, Andy Moss, Lloyds Banking Group Business Development Director gave an overview of the work the bank has been doing to engage with the manufacturing community, including a form of loan designed specifically for toolmakers.
Delegates were then provided with a tour of the MTC, where the event took place.
Davis said: “This year proves there is growing momentum behind Meet the Toolmakers, as it has increased significantly in size, illustrating the value of this unique opportunity for plastics moulders and toolmakers to meet in an informative and dynamic networking environment.”
Moore added: “The quality of visitors attending shows that the OEM and Tier 1s see the event as a focal point for toolmaking technologies and engineering solutions. This GTMA / BPF collaboration has been a great success and we are already planning for the 2019 Meet The Toolmaker Event.”