Automotive and advanced engineering trade mission

Posted on February 6th, 2017

Firms from across the Midlands will have an opportunity to meet potential new business partners during the first trade mission of the year to Romania.

The mission, which takes place on 27–30 March, has been put together by Enterprise Europe Network and the Chamber with a focus on automotive and advanced engineering companies.

It will take in the cities of Timisoara and Craiova, both of which are automotive and engineering hubs and boast some of the sector’s largest manufacturers and supply chains.

The East Midlands’ dominant sector, transport and machinery equipment, witnessed encouraging export growth to Romania during 2016, with orders increasing by 32% in the first three quarters of the year compared with the same period in 2015.

The Romanian automotive sector has enjoyed significant levels of foreign direct investment from major manufacturers in recent years, fuelling growth and creating opportunities for East Midlands' firms to feed into the supply chain.

Flying from the UK on the evening of Monday 27 March to Timisoara, considered the social, economic and cultural centre of western Romania, participants will, on the Tuesday, meet with representatives of the West Regional Development Agency which will host a market briefing and Q&A session to equip attendees with all the information they need prior to meeting potential business partners that afternoon.

The Wednesday will see delegates visit the Regional Competence Centre for Supplier Development in the Automotive Sector, a new centre dedicated to supporting the implementation of services and training programmes for enterprises in this lucrative sector – programmes that will ensure Timisoara remains at the forefront of automotive innovation.

This will be followed by a visit to a Tier 1 automotive supplier close by before delegates travel to Craiova, located in the south of the country, where they will be able to rest before the mission resumes the next day.

On Thursday, delegates will take in more B2B meetings with Romanian automotive companies, followed by a visit to another established automotive or advanced engineering company to demonstrate the benefits of doing business in this part of Romania. Delegates will fly back to the UK that afternoon.

Jan Immel, International Programmes Manager at Enterprise Europe Network East Midlands, said: “Romania offers fantastic opportunities for Midlands’ companies. With impressive growth rates, a buoyant manufacturing sector and an appreciation for British goods, conditions are prime for this market visit to be a resounding success and we look forward to supporting companies from across the region as they use it as a gateway to securing business in Romania.”

To discuss this trade mission further and learn more about Romania from market and sector specialists, please contact the Enterprise Europe Network team at the Chamber on ennoecdlc.keif@m-n.ou or call 0115 9578757.

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