Defence and Security Equipment International gives The Manufacturer a preview of its upcoming September event in London.
Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) is recognised globally as the market leading exhibition for defence and security products, services and technologies, bringing together companies from across the global defence and security arena.
The four day event, which runs from 15-18 September 2015, will take place at ExCeL London. Located beside the Royal Victoria Dock, warships from international navies will be berthed outside the exhibition, and inside everything from transportation boxes to armoured vehicles will be on display.
The range in products and services reflects the importance DSEI places on ensuring visitors can meet with the entire supply chain, increasing opportunities for growth and exports.
DSEI 2013 saw a total of 1,489 companies, representing 54 countries in attendance, and with 40 international pavilions this year, DSEI 2015 is set to provide just as many networking and business opportunities.
DSEI also gives companies access to top decision makers and influencers from international governments, security agencies and militaries that suppliers might otherwise not be able to approach by organizing international delegations to the show.
UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO), the government organisation which works with the MOD and UK defence and security industry to help build UK defence exports and relationships, together with Clarion Events, facilitates as many significant meetings as possible during the exhibition.
Additionally, DSEI 2015 will see the first Global Partnerships Theatre, hosting seminars throughout the exhibition.
The seminar programme will cover a different global region each day of the exhibition to explore key growth markets, export opportunities and global supply chain best practice. Such additions help keep DSEI the most global of all defence shows.
The scope of suppliers and international nature of exhibitors also marks out DSEI as the top defence exhibition to connect with all the suppliers necessary for systems integration and upgrades.
Customers are increasingly interested in how companies can provide through-life support and service life extension packages to adapt current platforms to function with new technology.
For militaries buying the latest platforms, these are progressively designed to last longer and be more upgradeable, making the systems within the platform and how they integrate together increasingly crucial.
Concurrently, other customers are looking to prolong the life of their current equipment, or to update second-hand platforms with the latest technology to create a highly sophisticated platform at a lower cost.
Militaries are keen to grow capabilities such as C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) and to upgrade their defence and security systems in line with technology, and the drive for systems integration into multiple platforms allows this to occur more readily.
While DSEI 2015 displays the industry’s most innovative platforms from the top primes, there is clear recognition of the importance of the full manufacturing supply chain, and many suppliers from other tiers and SMEs will be exhibiting during the exhibition.
BAE Systems readily acknowledges the importance of its supply chain, dedicating £650m in the UK alone last year, with more than 400 suppliers working together to help build the elite Typhoon aircraft, with a third of those based here in the UK.