A debrief from DPRTE: Empowering SMEs for a stronger, more collaborative defence supply chain

Well, what a show! We were blown away by the number of incredible people we met on stand at DPRTE a few weeks ago. We loved meeting everyone and hearing about the interesting projects currently in the pipeline, whilst sharing thoughts on future challenges shaping the industry.

The DPRTE Show plays a vital role in supporting the growth and resilience of the UK defence industry by fostering collaboration, innovation, and strategic partnerships across the supply chain. By bringing together key stakeholders and industry experts, events like this not only facilitate knowledge sharing and networking but also play a crucial role in empowering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to establish a growing presence within the industry.

A strong theme emerging from the show was the requirement for collaboration between all aspects of the defence supply chain. Talks by industry leaders such as Neil Jackson from BAE Systems emphasised the importance of swift and efficient connections between SMEs and prime organisations. Jackson’s passion for ensuring that SMEs are promptly linked with the right contacts within organisations that are typically difficult to break into resonated throughout the event.

Similarly, Captain Fiona Parkin’s presentation on the DE&S’s role in partnering with SMEs to support them in their export ambitions provided invaluable insight into how collaborative efforts can boost the profile and capabilities of smaller enterprises within the industry.

This ethos of collaboration is not only significant for industry giants like BAE Systems and DE&S but also for us as we navigate towards a more resilient and dynamic defence landscape. Our discussions with customers evolve into long-lasting, ongoing relationships where we work in partnership to understand the challenges they face and offer solutions that meet the unique requirements of their projects.

Our goal is to ensure the successful delivery of fibre or copper network communication systems that precisely meet the needs of our clients with expertise and precision. Through collaboration and partnership, we believe that we can contribute to a more innovative, forward-looking defence supply chain, ensuring that our armed forces are equipped with the most advanced technologies and solutions to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Thank you to the DPRTE team for organising an excellent event and to MakeUK Defence for providing us with the stand space and support along with everyone who visited us on stand and made the show a success!

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