A leading West Midlands manufacturing figure has been appointed as the Chair of the Automotive Group within Euroforge. Steve Morley, the current president of the Confederation of British Metalforming (CBM), took up up the influential role at the association’s high-profile Autumn Summit in Milan on 21st October.
He will be responsible for developing a strategy to tackle some of the major issues impacting European automotive forgers, including the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), fluctuating energy prices and the availability of material across the supply chain.
The experienced auto specialist has also put together an industry-packed speaking line-up for the event from across Europe, featuring Matt Pearson (Partner at EY Pantheon), Philippa Oldham (Stakeholder Engagement Director at the Advanced Propulsion Centre) and Euclides Coimbra (Senior Partner and Managing Director of the Kaizen Institute).
Together, the trio will give Euroforge members a clear insight into the current industry landscape, as well as exploring access to funding of new technologies and how firms can maximise efficiencies through new process implementation.
The Autumn Summit is an important precursor for conFAIR 2024 on the 22nd and 23rd October, which has a full house of exhibitors for the only European event specifically designed for the forging industry.
“I’m very honoured to have been appointed as the Chair of the Automotive Group, one of the most prestigious roles within an organisation that now represents more than 350 members across Europe,” explained Steve, who has more than 40 years’ experience working in manufacturing.
“We are at a very important time in the evolution of forging as an industry, especially when you consider the emergence of electric vehicles and the types of parts we can supply. One of my roles will be to take all the intel we’re getting on the ground and funnel them into a strategy that moves us forward as one collective.”
He continued: “Milan will be a great start to the position and I’m looking forward to meeting everyone at the Autumn Summit.”
Notable achievements
Steve has been President of the West Bromwich-based Confederation of British Metalforming since 2018, working with CEO Geraldine Bolton and its policy advisers to lobby UK government on key factors affecting the sector.
Some notable achievements secured in the last six years have included increasing steel safeguarded quotas domestically, lobbying on the escalation of rising energy costs and providing intelligence on CBAM to members ahead of its European introduction.
The former Group Engineering Director at Sertec Group has spent the majority of his 40-year career in and around the automotive sector, working at all tiers of the supply chain and running his own consultancy business.
“Steve has the experience, industry contacts and passion to make a really big difference as Chair of Euroforge’s Automotive Group,” added Geraldine Bolton, CEO of the Confederation of British Metalforming.
“Importantly, he will be able to factor in some of the issues facing CBM members, ensuring they are represented alongside their European peers. He will also be in an ideal position to see new technologies developing at the earliest possible opportunity, intelligence that will help accelerate the growth of our own domestic supply chain.”
About the CBM
The Confederation of British Metalforming represents the interests of more than 200 companies involved in the manufacture of fasteners, forgings and pressings, cold rolled and sheet metal products.
Working with metal its members create components, fabrications and structures for global OEMs and their supply chains, and most operate in strategic sectors, including aerospace, automotive, construction, defence, engineering, nuclear, offshore and white goods.
