FINALLY, we received a long-awaited reminder of how we used to do business pre-pandemic when last week our MD Martin Usher and Sales Director Martyn Peters attended ChemUK 2021 Expo.
And it seems we weren’t the only ones longing for a taste of normality! Despite safeguarding measures restricting entry and delaying admission as hundreds of people queued up to come in across the two-day event, attendance was up by 20% on the previous event, two years ago, in Harrogate.
Held at the NEC in Birmingham, conveniently located at the heart of the chemical industry, ChemUK, or to give it it’s full title, the UK Chemical Industries Supply Chain Expo, was attended by more than 350 exhibitors from across the chemical sector including pharmaceuticals, biochem and process technology, and included an extensive speaker programme.
We’d originally signed up to exhibit at the event when it was scheduled for May 2020 but Covid determined that wasn’t to be, so we were overjoyed to actually be able to fulfil our arrangement last week.
Not only was it an opportunity to renew old friendships with fellow members of our trade body, the BCMPA, and connections with long standing customers, but we also got to meet face-to-face for the first time, customers that we hadn’t been able to see in person before.
Exhibition events like ChemUK are a great opportunity for informal chat, to talk about new ideas and how we might be able to work together more effectively. It was fantastic to be able to get back to doing that and also to be able to tell potential new customers about Grotech Production Ltd and what we could do for them.
As bespoke contract manufacturers with some 40+ years’ experience in the agrochemical and general chemical industry, we were enthused to hear about the exciting new projects many product developers have underway and were delighted with the number of enquiries that came our way which may turn into business for new customers in due course.
Discussions with some of our competitors who were also attending the exhibition also proved useful as we compared notes on how we’re all faring in current times. There seemed to be two common themes: supply of labour and supply of raw materials.
The combined impact of Brexit and Covid on travel restrictions has dried up the supply of drivers and trained production workers from Eastern Europe. This is causing a shortage both on the factory floor and in the haulage industry with a subsequent hit on the delivery of raw materials where there are also supply issues with some items such as cardboard and plastic.
Fortunately, at Grotech, we are a closely knit community with a strong team of experienced production operators who have been with us for many years. Similarly, we have a robust supply chain and pride ourselves on our open, flexible approach with both customers and suppliers enabling us to generally come up with workable solutions for all parties.
We may still have some challenges ahead but it was good to be back to business as usual if only for a few days at ChemUK!
Did you see us at ChemUK and would like to follow up on our discussions? Or maybe you had to give the event a miss but don’t want to miss out completely? If so, why not give us a call on 01405 761746 or email us here.
