International Activities

Europe

Events and webinars

UK Pavilion: Automechanika Frankfurt
Frankfurt, Germany | 10-14 September
SMMT will be organising the UK pavilion at Automechanika Frankfurt, giving UK companies an opportunity to exhibit and be supported by SMMT.

Trade mission: CEE Automotive Supply Chain
Žilina, Slovakia | 13-14 November
SMMT is taking a UK delegation to the 8th edition of the CEE Automotive Supply Chain event in Žilina, Slovakia.


Activities from partner organisations

Smart cities and Industry 4.0: Opportunities in Europe
Virtual | 10:00-11:00 (UK), 2 October 2024
Hear about the latest trends and opportunities in core markets across Europe including Germany, Netherlands, France, Spain and Portugal. Organised by Santander, click the link for more details.


Reports and updates

PZPM: current Polish automotive landscape and opportunities
1 November 2022
Jakub Faryś, President of the Polish Automotive Industry Association (PZPM) shares their outlook on current challenges and opportunities in the Polish automotive sector in November’s SMMT International Update.

Highlights of Trade Mission: Supply chain and additive manufacturing opportunities in Spain
4 October 2022
Highlights of September’s Trade Mission to Spain, on Supply chain and additive manufacturing opportunities in Spain.

Türkiye’s Value Offer in New Mobility
3 October 2022
İbrahim Ethem Tokgözlü, an Expert in the Sectoral Activities Unit at the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Investment Office shares about Turkiye’s offer in new mobility for October’s SMMT International Update.

HP Supply chain and additive manufacturing opportunities in Spain
1 August 2022
Ahead of the September trade mission to Spain, SMMT spoke to HP’s Xavier Llobera in this month’s International Update to hear about the visit and to understand how companies are using additive manufacturing in automotive.

The journey to Norway’s first gigafactory
1 June 2022
SMMT spoke to Tom Einar Jensen Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Freyr, to hear about the company and their plans to build Norway’s first Gigafactory for June’s SMMT International Update.

Our International Story – Vehicle Vision
1 February 2022
Mal Rooney, Global Distribution Manager, at Vehicle Vision writes about the company’s journey into exporting and its future goals in March’s SMMT International Update.

Our International Story – Energenics
1 February 2022
Mike Attfield, CEO, at Energenics writes about the company’s journey into exporting and its future goals in February’s SMMT International Update.

Germany Accelerates Electric Mobility Revolution
6 September 2021
September’s SMMT International Newsletter features guest writer Robert Scheid, Director UK & Ireland at Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI).

The automotive industry in Romania 
2 August 2021
August’s SMMT International Newsletter features guest writer Emanuela Cristescu, Trade Development Adviser at the Department for International Trade in Bucharest.

Slovakia and the UK: bonds tied through Innovation and Expertise
1 December 2020
Michal Sventek, Trade Adviser, DIT Bratislava discusses Slovakia’s automotive sector.

Manufacturing Landscape in Lithuania

Automotive Industry in Lithuania


Opportunities

Central and Eastern Europe
Commercial opportunities in the automotive supply chain organised by Santander, categories include plastic injection i.e. front end, seating components, interiors, stamping groups for weld assemblies

Poland
Parts and accessories for vehicles and their engines


Previous events and webinars

UK Pavilion: Automechanika Frankfurt
Frankfurt, Germany | 10-14 September 2024
SMMT organised the UK pavilion at Automechanika Frankfurt, giving UK companies an opportunity to exhibit and be supported by SMMT.

Inward trade delegation: German e-mobility
West Midlands, UK: 24-27 October 2022
Meet with German e-mobility companies in the West Midlands with networking and pre-arranged B2B sessions – free of charge for SMMT members.

Trade Mission: Supply chain and additive manufacturing opportunities in Spain
Barcelona, Spain: 27-29 September 2022
SMMT partnered with HP on a 3-day trade mission to Barcelona. Delegates learned how additive manufacturing could be used in automotive and gained an understanding of opportunities in the Spanish EV supply chain.

Automechanika Frankfurt 2022
Frankfurt, Germany: 13-17 September 2022
One of the leading aftermarket trade shows, and with its return to a fully in-person format after four years.

Webinar: Additive Manufacturing and Supply Chain visit to Barcelona with HP
Virtual: Thursday 30 June 2022
Listen to an overview of the supply chain opportunities in Spain as well as find out information on the upcoming trade visit to Spain.

Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS35)
Oslo, Norway: 11-15 June 2022
A key conference and exhibition for all interested in e-mobility.

Delegation: Future Mobility Delegation from Thuringia, Germany
London, UK: 09 May 2022
The delegation will be led by the Minister for Economy, Science & Digital Society, focusing on future mobility with delegates including BMW, Agor GmbH, automotive thüringen e.V. and more. Meet and network with the delegation.

Webinar: Hungary – electrification opportunities
Virtual: Tuesday 22 March 2022
As part of SMMT Electrified International, SMMT is hosting a webinar with Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency on the opportunities for UK automotive.

Webinar: Germany – electrification opportunities
Virtual: Thursday 17 March 2022
As part of SMMT Electrified International, SMMT is hosting a webinar with Germany Trade & Invest on the opportunities for UK automotive.

Webinar: New Trends & Opportunities in the Türkiye Mobility Ecosystem
Virtual: 16 March 2022
As part of SMMT Electrified International, SMMT is hosting a webinar with the Investment Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye.

Webinar: Hungary & Poland – opportunities and activities in 2022
Virtual: 1 March 2022
SMMT, Department for International Trade and Santander UK are hosting a session on what the trends and opportunities are when it comes to automotive technology in Hungary and Poland, particularly in electrification and hydrogen, plus the activities lined up this year including:

Webinar: Romania – opportunities for UK automotive
Virtual: 11 November 2021
Romania hosts two OEMs: Renault Dacia and Ford, who we were delighted to have speak at our webinar about the Romanian automotive industry and the opportunities available, alongside industry experts ACAROM and Invest Romania, and hosted by SMMT and the Department for International Trade in Bucharest. Click the link above to find out more and to listen back.

Webinar: Baltic States – opportunities for UK automotive
Virtual: 27 May 2021
The Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania offer potential opportunities including partnerships and a place to expand your business in Europe, especially as the region is well placed for the Russian and Nordic markets too. SMMT was delighted to partner with key organisations in the region to share why this is a place for UK companies to consider when it comes to opportunities in Europe. Topics such as self-driving vehicles, ultracapacitors, e-buses and electric & plug-in vehicles were explored.

Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – SMMT Electrified International Week
Virtual: 24 March 2021
Listen back to the latest updates on electrification in Central and Eastern Europe, focusing mainly on Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Hear from companies active in the region – INOBAT in Slovakia and ARP E-Vehicles in Poland, as well as SARIO, Jedlik Automotive Cluster, PSPA, Department for International Trade and Santander.

Germany – SMMT Electrified International Week
Virtual: 24 March 2021
Hear from Department for International Trade in Munich for an update on e-mobility in Germany, as well from Baden-Wurtemberg on activities in the region and the opportunities for UK firms.

Webinar: Opportunities in Central Europe for South West automotive companies
Virtual: 20 January 2021
Hear from Department for International Trade in the Central European region, plus SMMT and Santander on how companies in the South West of England could be exporting their products or services to Central Europe.

Webinar: Opportunities in Turkey
Virtual: 3 December 2020
Turkey is a major player in the automotive sector, producing around 1.4 million vehicles in 2019, making the country Europe’s 5th largest vehicle producer and 2nd in commercial vehicle production. The country is a very important trading partner for UK automotive, with total UK – Turkey automotive trade of more than £3 billion in 2019, including UK exports of engines and components worth more than £1 billion. Turkey is a proven production hub with 30 of the global top 50 suppliers using the country as a base. Meanwhile Turkey is aiming to improve its R&D, design and branding capabilities and has recently announced a locally developed electric car. Listen back for an overview of the sector in Turkey, opportunities for UK firms and to hear directly from Ford Otosan, a leading vehicle producer in Turkey.

Central European Cities – bespoke sessions for UK Tech companies
Virtual: 24-26 November 2020
The Department for International Trade organised bespoke meetings between Central European cities and UK companies offering mobility/technology solutions for either zero carbon public transport, retrofitting of buses, EV charging stations, smart infrastructure and more.

UK-Poland Green Recovery Forum
Virtual: 28 October 2020
The UK and Poland are ideal partners to achieve clean growth together, and the Green Recovery Forum explored and showcased some exciting new sectors that offer business opportunities to both countries.

Webinar: Automotive opportunities in Northern Spain, Basque Country 
Virtual: 29 September 2020
Spain is the second largest automobile manufacturer in Europe, and the Basque Country has 50% of Spanish Automotive Component companies, as well as being the most productive region in Spain with the highest investment in R&D. This webinar hosted by SMMT, Santander, Department for International Trade, Basque Automotive Cluster and SPRI is aimed at UK businesses in the Automotive sector looking to expand and explore opportunities in Spain. Listen back here and click here to see the slides.

Webinar: SMMT Business Support (as part of the NEAA Automotive Week)
Virtual: 16 September 2020
A webinar aimed at UK automotive companies wanting to know more about the support available now and going forward including information on funding and help with growing your business internationally. Contact us to receive the slide deck.

Webinar: Future mobility export opportunities in the German market 
Virtual: 22 July 2020

Despite COVID-19, Germany remains one of the most influential automotive markets in the world, leading on R&D investment, with some of the biggest OEMs and Tier 1 companies. While there is a well-established supply chain for standard equipment, there are significant gaps and opportunities especially for CASE ( Connected Autonomous, Shared and Electric) vehicles and Data Driven mobility solutions so it’s the perfect place for innovative UK companies to export. Join Department for International Trade to find out more.

Webinar: Central Europe: Overview and opportunities in the Automotive and Smart Mobility sectors, post Covid-19
Virtual: 9 July 2020

Listen back to Ljupcso Mihailovszki, Automotive Lead from the Department for International Trade team in Central Europe, and Jay Nagley, sector specialist in DIT HQ. The webinar focuses on Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Bulgaria..

Webinar: Opportunities in Central Eastern Europe
Virtual: 13 February 2020
SMMT, Santander and DIT  partnered on this webinar to share information on the Central and Eastern Europe region aimed at UK automotive businesses, with a focus on Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.