Umeco Host Open Day to Showcase ACG's Prepreg Materials

Umeco Composites, an operating division of Umeco plc, had a successful, informative and truly educational Corporate Open Day in Heanor, Derbyshire on Friday 23rd September.

The purpose of the Corporate Open Day was to showcase the use of ACG's prepreg materials in customers' end products to local dignitaries, school children and customers, while also using the opportunity to promote engineering as a study subject and profession to a diverse audience.

All visitors were given the opportunity to tour Umeco Composites' Technology Centre and R&D facilities, and the composites manufacturing facility of Advanced Composites Group Ltd. (ACG) - part of Umeco Composites. Everyone experienced at first hand how the Group develops and manufactures advanced composite materials. The tours ended with everyone having full access to a wide range of outstanding exhibits provided by some of Umeco's valued customers, and gave visitors a true insight into how the Group's materials are used by its clients to produce their world-class products.

Children from local primary and secondary schools took an active part in the day by testing and demonstrating their skills by driving the BLOODHOUND SSC car simulator, and then revealing their competitive nature by building and racing a self-propelled model of the BLOODHOUND SSC (SuperSonic) car.

Exhibits included a full-scale model of the BLOODHOUND SSC, a Noble Automotive M600 sports car, Delta Motorsports' all-electric vehicle, a Norton Commando 961 motorcycle, Force Protection's Foxhound protected patrol vehicle, as well as a wide range of other applications from a number of high profile, valued customers. Also, Sean Rose, one of the UK's leading, medal-winning Paralympians, presented some equipment to demonstrate the application of composites in competitive and recreational sports, and he also talked openly about his highly competitive nature and participation in sporting events at national and international level.

Visitors thoroughly enjoyed the event and found it a very informative and enlightening experience. Umeco Composites believes that it achieved its aim of promoting its engineering expertise at a local and national level, thereby mirroring the aim of the BLOODHOUND SSC project.

Jon Mabbitt, Managing Director of Umeco Composites Structural Materials, said: "This was probably the biggest Open Day the Group has held, and we believe that the success of the event reflects the direction that the business is taking. We were delighted to have had so many of our partners present, and thank them for adding value by displaying the application of our composite materials. It was a very exciting day for us and our respected clients."

Phil Sherwood, Composites Technology Manager at ARRK Europe Ltd, commented: "We were very pleased to have been asked to exhibit at Umeco Composites' Open Day, and have the opportunity to show, as an end user of ACG's prepregs, what can be accomplished with the right approach and skill set. Composites have a great future; we are very pleased to be associated with ACG."