FACE TO FACE
The ICOSPA Congress in Birmingham , UK .
Stephen Morley ( left ) was a speaker at the ICOSPA Congress .
FORMING THE FUTURE
As the UK hands over Presidency of ICOSPA to Japan , ISMR sat down with outgoing ICOSPA President , Stephen Morley , to review 2022 market developments and cast an eye over the future .
“ ICOSPA ’ s member associations represent the voices of over 12,300 companies in six countries , representing approximately 600,000 employees .”
The International Council of Sheet Metal Presswork Associations ( ICOSPA ) is a platform for the cross-national exchange of the sheet-metal engineering industry . Over the past 50 years , its member associations have represented the voices of over 12,300 companies in six countries . Most of its member companies ( employing over 600,000 people ) are small and mediumsized enterprises that supply assemblies , subassemblies and parts to the automotive , machinery and electrical / electronic industries .
ICOSPA ’ s vision is to actively promote the international sheet-metal engineering industry for its member companies to flourish and provide growth as well as employment . It provides a network for members to facilitate information exchange and together develop services which are useful to member companies . ICOSPA offers information about international sheet-metal engineering and national market developments . It also supports matching enterprises with talented staff and students by offering an international internship / exchange programme .
As the UK hands over Presidency of ICOSPA to Japan in 2023 , ISMR sat down with outgoing ICOSPA President , Stephen Morley , to review 2022 market developments and cast an eye over the future .
ISMR : Please give a brief background to ICOSPA and your Presidency of the organisation .
SM : ICOSPA started back in the 1960s as a free friendship group for professionals in sheet-metal industries in different countries . They would get together to find out what was happening in each country ( initially in the U . S ., the UK and Germany ). ICOSPA now covers six countries ( including Japan , France and China ) and the ICOSPA Congress is held in whichever country holds the Presidency . The UK therefore held the ICOSPA Congress in October this year at the National Metalforming Centre in Birmingham .
Primarily , ICOSPA is about friendship and knowledge sharing , as well as networking and social activities . I first became involved in ICOSPA a few years ago , when I was on the Board of the Confederation of British Metalforming ( CBM ), and the ICOSPA Congress was being held in Strasbourg . I enjoyed the Congress at the time and became President of the CBM just as the
Presidency of ICOSPA switched over to the UK four years ago . The Presidency of ICOSPA is shared between the different country association members .
The host country of the Congress ( and two President ’ s meetings ) typically holds the Presidency for three years . However , because of the COVID-19 pandemic , the UK has held the Presidency of ICOSPA for the last four years . However , we hand the Presidency over to Japan in the New Year ( 2023 ) so the next ICOSPA Congress will be held in Japan in 2024 .
About Stephen Morley
Starting as a toolmaker and progressing through several senior management roles to become operations director and engineering director of UK manufacturer Sertec , Stephen Morley is President of the Confederation of British Metalforming ( CBM ). He is also a past Chairman of the UK Institute of Sheet Metal Engineering ( ISME ) and sits on the Board of Directors of CBM . He sits on the Make UK Affiliate Board and CBI Trade Association Councils .
Stephen represents CBM members ’ interests to UK government and lobbies for manufacturing .
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ismr . net | ISMR December 2022 / January 2023