Reflection on the West Yorkshire Supply Chain Programme with Bev Foster
The West Yorkshire Supply Chain programme provided fully funded support to help businesses diversify and access wider supply chain opportunities. It connected businesses with a diverse range of activities within regional, national, and global supply chains, encompassing both service and product based opportunities.
With world leading companies choosing to invest and operate in West Yorkshire, supply chain opportunities in the region are expanding significantly.
The goal of the programme was to ensure that local firms are ready and equipped to take advantage of these opportunities, as well as those emerging more broadly across the region. Participants benefited from workshops, networking events, industry visits, and sector-based innovation challenges.
As RTC North continues its work with SMEs and large enterprises in the region, business support specialist Bev Foster reflects on the impact so far. With a wealth of experience working with key stakeholders and partners across Yorkshire and the Humber, Bev has played a crucial role in developing and delivering tailored business support solutions.
Bev Foster comments,
“There have been some stand out moments from delivering the WY Supply Chain Programme, from our Supply Chain Showcase, involvement and sponsorship of the Advancing Manufacturing Futures event, and a meet the buyer workshop with Adderstone Group where three West Yorkshire businesses tendered successfully for work on Adderstone’s social housing investments.”
Over the course of the programme, RTC North delivered 37 events, including a major showcase event in November 2024 that brought together innovative businesses from across West Yorkshire, fostering collaboration and innovation in the region.
Connecting Yorkshire SMEs with industry leaders and opportunities in advanced manufacturing, energy, digital, travel, and infrastructure, the Showcase was held at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.
Two hundred delegates had the chance to hear from industry leaders and to meet one to one to discuss supply chain opportunities.
Other key events worth highlighting include:
Meet the Buyer Event, Adderstone Living: This event offered West Yorkshire trade businesses a chance to hear directly about Adderstone’s future development plans and to find out how to become supply chain ready. The meet the buyer format allowed SMEs to meet buyers from within Adderstone and discuss current and future opportunities to work together.
Advancing Manufacturing Futures, AMF: In early 2025, RTC North collaborated with the West Yorkshire Manufacturing Advisory Board to run an event focused on supporting the manufacturing sector in West Yorkshire, funded by Lloyds Bank. The event took place in February at the Cedar Court Hotel in Bradford. Mayor Tracy Brabin delivered the keynote, alongside other industry experts who shared their experiences.
Through these activities, RTC North has strengthened connections across the Yorkshire region, helping local businesses build resilience, gain confidence, and secure new opportunities within major supply chains. The programme has demonstrated the value of collaboration and the potential for Yorkshire enterprises to thrive.
If you want to develop your supply chain knowledge and readiness, RTC North can support you to identify opportunities, overcome challenges, and prepare your business to take advantage of them. To find out more about the support available, contact Bev Foster at Bev.Foster@rtcnorth.co.uk.