Bloodhound and Mantra set to roll into town for Made in Chesterfield
Engineering and manufacturing companies in north east Derbyshire are being called on to support the annual Made in Chesterfield festival, a celebration of the town’s manufacturing sector throughout November organised by Destination Chesterfield.
Chesterfield Museum’s very own George Stephenson will attend the official launch of Made in Chesterfield 2015 to the business community at a special evening event on Tuesday 3 November.
The museum is also hosting a special Made in Chesterfield Exhibition, celebrating the wide range of amazing and sometimes quirky products being made in Chesterfield both today and bygone days, including George Stephenson’s cucumber straightener.
As well as George Stephenson, Chesterfield is welcoming a number of high-profile names from manufacturing and engineering during the festival, including Mantra – AMRC’s travelling showcase for advanced engineering, and Bloodhound, the vehicle which is Britain’s latest attempt to break the world land speed record, travelling at a speed of 1,000mph.
A replica of the vehicle will be at Chesterfield College on Wednesday 18 November as part of the Made in Chesterfield festival and is central to a special drinks reception for Chesterfield Champions.
The arrival of Bloodhound in Chesterfield has special significance for the town as local industrial weighing specialists Weightron Bilanciai Ltd have supplied the weighing systems that have been used throughout the build of the project. The company also supplying a system to measure the weight distribution through the wheels of the car, to allow the balancing of the vehicle.
Councillor Amanda Serjeant, vice chair of Destination Chesterfield and cabinet member for town centre and visitor economy at Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “Engineering has always played a major part in Chesterfield’s economy and these events show that this heritage is continuing today.
“Engineering companies are also at the forefront of work in the town to create apprentices to give young people high quality job opportunities.
“This festival is an opportunity to showcase all they do and raise awareness of the many different types of products being manufactured in the town.”
As well as the launch and Champions’ Bloodhound event, there is a packed programme of business events being held during Made in Chesterfield, including a manufacturing conference, business masterclasses and networking events.
Made in Chesterfield is organised by Destination Chesterfield in partnership with MSE Hiller, United Cast Bar, NatWest, Derbyshire Education Business Partnership, Chesterfield College, Derbyshire County Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, Placing Futures, NLT Training, UKTI, East Midlands Chamber, Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Positive 4 Young People.
Ivan Fomin, managing director of MSE Hiller and Destination Chesterfield board member responsible for manufacturing and engineering, said: “The support of companies in the sector is vital to the success of Made in Chesterfield. Manufacturing is the lifeblood of the economy, feeding other sectors such as retail and leisure and its continuing success relies on today’s students considering it for a future career. Made in Chesterfield is designed to open their eyes to this and show them the varied job roles available and also how the sector has changed. However, we can only do this of companies come forward and actively get involved.”
Ian Harrison, UKTI Regional Director in the East Midlands, said he was delighted to be involved in Made in Chesterfield.
He added: “Our breakfast event Made in Chesterfield – Sold to the World, on 9 November, will include an in-depth look at the exciting opportunities for local companies to trade internationally.
“As part of UKTI’s Export Week programme, we hope the event will show businesses that whatever their size, we can help them take their goods and services worldwide.
“The Chesterfield event is also timed to coincide with the launch of the Government’s new Exporting is GREAT Campaign (www.exportingisgreat.gov.uk), which seeks to inspire 100,000 new exporters.”
To find out more about any of the Made in Chesterfield business events and to register to attend, please visit www.chesterfield.co.uk/made
