Midlands Environmental Business Company Limited

"The WindSupply Project managed by MEBC Projects is funded and supported by a growing number of regional development agencies, led by Advantage West Midlands, East Midlands Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward and the European Union. In Co-operation with Renewables North West and the Engineering Forum.
Working in close contact with the DTI Renewables UK support team, the project acts as a working facilitator between the UK / global wind energy marketplace and the potential UK manufacturing and service company supply chain.
Initially the project identified the gap for wind turbine components. It focused first on analysing and connecting with the current, mainly Danish and German, OEM market, and their first tier sub-assembly suppliers. It continues to match these market needs with UK supplier potential, is recruiting suppliers to suit, and working to involve and co-ordinate Universities and R&D organisations to help break into strong existing overseas supply chains through supplier partnerships and product / service innovation.
From a West Midlands start up, the project has matured to become the UK supply chain development project – “cutting its teeth” on the developing UK wind energy market. The stability of this market and its growth has been stimulated by the certainty from recently extended government targets / “financial market” system, and aimed at a global market continuing to grow by some 20% per year."

UK component manufacturers are facing a real business opportunity in the emerging UK wind energy sector. The future need for components is such that existing supply lines, many in Germany and Holland, will not have the capacity to respond.

Delegates to the workshop came from across the UK and from the continent. They concluded that the UK's commitment to renewable energy - to by 2010 have 10% of the energy produced in the UK originated by renewable sources, was achievable but that it may take longer than the government hopes. The upturn in demand is already causing major developers to seek UK suppliers and perhaps more is being produced already in the UK than is commonly thought.

Whilst some of the demand is for specialist equipment, equally there will be a significant demand for "nuts and bolts" and other basic components.

Presentations

A review workshop looking at WindSupply should more focussed to meet the needs of the potential UK component supply chain, and use university Research & Development to break into the mainland European dominated manufactures?

Slides from the July 04 workshop at Loughborough

A workshop staged in joint venture with the Engineering Forum and East Midlands Development Agency attracted around 80 engineering and manufacturing delegates.

	Part 1 of the slides from March 04 East Midlands workshop, Loughborough
	Part 2 of the slides from March 04 East Midlands workshop, Loughborough

Two workshops held in January 2004 in the West Midlands region - one in West Bromwich and one in Coventry - attracted more than 150 representatives from mainly engineering and manufacturing companies - all interested as potential suppliers to the growing UK wind generated power industry.

	Contact MEBC for the slides from January 04 Workshop at Coventry
	Contact MEBC for slides from January 04 Workshop at West Bromwich

WindSupply Guest Presentations