This is the place to be!
Since the coming together of the three former forums into one County wide Network we have seen membership of CDEMN grow literally day by day. This now includes companies right across the spectrum from some of the largest employers to new and up and coming businesses.
Companies are recognising the need for an organisation who can provide support for growth in the engineering and manufacturing sector whilst also enabling links into business communities otherwise not supported. This of course encouraged by our partner Business Durham.
At CDEMN we are always looking for ways to help our members develop new business and also achieve synergies through relationships with other providers in the same sector. This in part is achieved by putting professionals together who may otherwise not know that each other existed, albeit sharing common goals. Success in this has been seen with assisting collaborative working for tenders / quotations, cooperative purchasing for smaller businesses and developing focussed workgroups for larger companies looking at very specific aspects of their business. Even just the basics of helping a company to 'get their name out' into the region to explore new business opportunities is a highly valued deliverable.
In addition we are forging strong links into education, supporting schools, colleges and universities in their drive to engage with businesses. It is our desire to showcase the next generation with possibilities available when choosing a career in engineering and manufacturing, something that seems to have lost a little momentum in the past but is now back on the up. Our sector is one of the largest employers in the region and we need to show people that there are opportunities for aspirational careers right across the board, irrespective of the skill or interest of the individual.
Of course on a grander scale we also 'own' Oktoberfest, the Durham engineering and manufacturing show which is now in its 9th year and looking stronger than ever. This year will see new developments such as a skills zone and a Q&A session with some of the regions most influential people there to take your questions.
If you are one of the 1000 engineering and manufacturing businesses representing our County and this interests you as much as it does us then please get in touch and we can discuss the direct benefits of being a part of CDEMN.