'Motorsport to defence' – the business of UORs

The September visit of MIA members to BAE Systems in Telford was considered a huge success. No less than 22 Motorsport Valley companies took the opportunity to present themselves to representatives of the MOD and various divisions of BAE. The rest of the day was given over to a mini-exhibition, where procurement reps and heads of defence engineering mingled with the motorsport companies and studied products at will.

Though there have been previous meetings of the motorsport and defence fraternities, this was the first opportunity for free-ranging face to face discussion between the two sides. The focus was on UORs – Urgent Operational Requests – which motorsport industry companies are perfectly placed to handle.

Said the MIA's Chris Aylett, "UORs from the front line in Iraq, Afghanistan etc require swift, cost-effective responses – the exact environment in which the motorsport industry excels day-by-day. It is no real surprise that several of the our MIA members that visited BAE Systems are already enjoying business with the company. Their UOR requirements have grown to nearly £60 million in the last four years. To quote the defence industry, we are moving quickly from 'Flash to Bang' with the MIA."