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Two-hundred attendees met from across the South West’s aerospace, defence, and advanced manufacturing community in Weston-super-Mare to mark WEAF’s Annual Conference & Expo.
The entire event was underpinned by the mantra of “Doing More With Less” to help support delegates focus their respective businesses when it comes to budgets, team management, innovation, skills, and strategising.
The conference started the night before at the WEAF pre-conference dinner, where members met informally and were treated to a talk delivered by Commander Ben Dando of the Royal Navy. Ben is the Commanding Officer of 825 Squadron, known as the Wildcat Training Squadron, based at RNAS Yeovilton.
He covered the role of the Royal Navy fleet in the South West, as well as future flight —including the utilisation of uncrewed drones in operations. The insights shared provided a unique and valuable perspective on the challenges and innovations shaping the defence sector today.
On the morning of 30th April, ADS’ Chief Economist, Aimie Stone kicked off the event. Whilst the headlines have been dominated by tariffs, the largest ever aircraft backlog, and skills shortages, Aimie provided an optimistic outlook on UK manufacturing, which reportedly as a sector experienced 2.2% growth, compared with the UK GDP of 0.5% in February this year. This left the room feeling buoyed and evidenced that growth might be slow, but it is taking place. Recruitment remains the investment focus area for industry in 2025, according to ADS.
In Prime Position – the Industry Panel, chaired by WEAF CEO Colin Turner, saw the major primes within the region (Safran, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo Helicopters, Airbus UK, MBDA, GKN Aerospace, and BAE System) focus on the current landscape of supply chain management and both opportunities and challenges for the aerospace, defence, and advanced manufacturing sectors.
Consensus on the potential for innovation and efficiency in an ever-evolving marketplace were key topics during the dialogue. However, the conversation also recognised the need for an adaptable supply chain, supported by industry, and the advancements in technology which will inevitably drive changes enabling faster decision-making and improved data analytics.
The Disruptive Technology panel led by Sophie Lane of the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), and joined by representatives from Vertical Aerospace, GKN Aerospace, and Loop Technology considered the application of advanced technologies and the practical learnings from other industries.
Touching on the possibility of cross-sectoral collaboration with the automotive or construction industries was highlighted as a key area for consideration. The major takeaway from the panel was the emphasis on the importance of collaboration and the willingness for industry to share knowledge and resources.
On the Business Operations panel was ADS’ Sarah Barnard, as Chair, the South West Manufacturing Advisory Service (SWMAS), Renishaw, New icon, and the National Composite Centre.
The panel tackled the importance of an integrated business plan for growth, separate plans for areas like digital transformation and Net Zero, and the application of continuous improvement when it comes to work practices. The panel agreed that a unified approach means companies are more successful and better equipped to manage challenges.
The MD of the Inspirational Group Simon Mann closed the conference by invigorating delegates to explore how a coaching-based approach and performance psychology can support businesses in clarifying goals, in addition to their focus, motivation, and resilience. Delegates were provided a platform to interact with each other asking pertinent coaching questions on what their goals and reality are and how to achieve their aims with immediate effect.
Doing More With Less remained constant throughout the event highlighting how the South West region is hungry for investment, passionate about innovation, and enthusiastic about growth.
WEAF is enabling effective collaboration and networking between its members and influential players as evidenced at this year’s conference & expo.
