Who Visits?

Senior specifiers and serious buyers from all sectors of UK Manufacturing, including:

Aerospace & defence, Automotive & Motorsport, Industrial Equipment & Agriculture, Electronics, Medical Technology, Marine, Rail, Power, Energy, Utilities, Mining, Oil & Gas. Process & Production Engineering, Civil Engineering, White Goods, Scientific and Technical Instruments, Communications and Telecoms.

Job Titles

Managers, Senior Managers, Controllers and Directors with responsibility for: Buying, Procurement, Purchasing Strategy, Supply Chain, Subcontract Manufacturing, Supplier Development, Production, Operations, Manufacturing, Engineering, Design, R&D, Mechanical Projects, Materials, Commodities, Stock, Works, Plant, Technical Sales.

Core Visitor numbers

2009     2008      2007 
3333     2571      1917 

Reasons given for attending

Find new suppliers and solutions                   61%
 Keep up to date                  61%
 Networking                  33%
 Meet existing suppliers                  27%

Subcon attracts decision makers who have strategic sourcing responsibilities for major OEMs and global manufacturing groups with subcontracting budgets that run into billions of pounds.

25,530: Number of absolute unique Subcon web site visitors in the 2009 Show cycle (up from 12,485 in 2008)

Visitor quality

 Decision maker or Influencer                     85%
 Outsourcing more than £ 1 million                     30%
 Outsourcing more than £ 5 million                     12%

What are they sourcing?

Castings and forgings   28%                             Electronics  20% 
Fabrications 22%                             Measurement and Calibration  13% 
Sheet metal work 21%                             Design services & prototyping  14% 
Cutting Services 18%                             Treatments and Finishing  20% 
Turning, milling, machining 34%                             Full manufacturing service  21% 
Metalforming, joining & Presswork 25%                             Production equipment & technology  15% 
Springs & fasteners 25%                             Materials  32% 
Grinding, boring & drilling 17%                             Maintenance  13% 
Gears 12%                             Software   8%
Plastics and rubber components 16%                             Testing & certification 10%
Tooling, press & die 14%                             Consulting services 12%

Subcon visitors also have procurement remits for manufacturing equipment, technology and services including:

  • Materials and consumables
  • Manufacturing equipment & technology
  • Machine tools and tooling
  • Metrology, measurement, testing and inspection equipment
  • Standard electronic and mechanical parts
  • Pumps, valves, seals and bearings
  • Logistics and supply chain services
  • Software for project management, ERP, design and manufacturing
  • Certification and standards
  • Capital and project finance