Monday 5th February 2018 – The biennial co-located events; Smart Industry Expo, Drives & Controls, Fluid Power & Systems, Plant & Asset Management, and Air-Tech Exhibitions – are once again set to return to Birmingham’s NEC (Halls 8, 9 and 10) from 10th -12th April 2018, alongside MACH 2018.
Industry 4.0 and The Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), presents huge opportunities for British manufacturing over the next decade, and the inaugural Smart Industry Expo 2018 will leave visitors in no doubt that the ‘smartening’ process of industry and manufacturing is going to change the face of global industry forever.
The idea relies on sophisticated software and machines that communicate with each other to optimise production. However in the UK there is an enormous vacuum, and many companies need guidance in order to be prepare for this transformation.
The inaugural Smart Industry Expo will take place alongside Drives & Controls, Fluid Power & Systems, Plant & Asset Management, and Air-Tech Exhibitions at Birmingham’s NEC (Halls 8, 9 and 10) from 10th -12th April 2018. The 2018 co-location will be at least 1000m2 bigger than the 2016 exhibition, thanks to the addition of the Smart Industry Expo event.
The new event will give exhibitors the opportunity to communicate directly with senior management across the whole of the UK industrial spectrum, from managing directors, financial directors, and owners to process/control and IT/ automation management, plus many more who are all seeking guidance in order to prepare for this smart engineering transformation.
The organiser, DFA Media, says Smart Industry Expo 2018 will be an ideal opportunity for visitors to learn how to prepare for this smart era as well as seeing first hand the variety of technology and services on offer as well as being able to discuss a wide range of issues including advanced automation, digital networks, and design methods including 3D CAD/CAM, smart grid technologies, new production processes, 3D printing, and next generation industrial robots – including collaborative robots.
Other areas covered include: Predictive Maintenance 4.0, IT-based automation solutions that will bring fundamental change to all in-factory processes, IT security, as well as smart technologies that manage and coordinate power, gas and heat networks so that capacity can be balanced and optimally deployed across the entire energy system – integrated energy. Plus much more.
The event will cover all sectors of industry from industrial automation and energy to predictive maintenance, supply, power transmission and control and R&D.
The entrance to the Smart Industry Expo will be dominated by a double-stand occupied by Schneider Electric, covering around 150m2 – twice the area that the company had at the previous Drives show in 2016. Another exhibitor transferring to the new event is the sensor-maker ifm electronic, which has also increased its stand space, by 20m2.
The Smart Industry Expo has also attracted Festo (which has not appeared at the Drives Show for many years), as well as other well-known names such as Universal Robots, Harting, Panduit, Sigmatek, Senseye, Codra, Exor and Applied Automation.
Smart Industry Expo will be one of the UK’s most comprehensive dedicated events focusing on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and transforming to a smart manufacturing era.
Co-location of event
Drives & Controls Exhibition will once again bring together key suppliers of state-of-the-art equipment representing the multi-tasking culture of today’s design engineer, covering critical areas such as energy efficiency, machine safety, drives, motion control, robotics and automation plus much more, all under one roof. With the advent of the smart factory, Drives & Controls Exhibition is an essential source of technological and engineering information.
More than 100 companies have already signed up to exhibit at the Drives Show, with a further 25 booking stands for the new Smart Industry Expo event, which is dedicated to the factory of the future.
First-time exhibitors in the Drives & Controls Show will include Charter Controls, Wiska, ETA Enclosures, Eldon, EBM Papst, Finder, Elmo Motion, Procentec, Fischer Connectors and Infranor. TEC Motors is returning with a 128m2 stand that is 60% larger than the one it had at the 2016 show. Phoenix Contact is more than quadrupling the size of its stand from 16m2 in 2016 to 72m2 in 2018.
Other returning exhibitors include Beckhoff, B&R, Rittal,Siemens/ HMK, Weidmuller, Danfoss, WEG, Eplan, Beijer, Wago, Mitsubishi, Radwell, IGE-XAO and KEB.
Gambica and the European Transmission Distributors Association will again be hosting pavilions where members will be promoting their activities.
Following the success of the inaugural robotics demonstration zone at the 2016 show, this feature is returning with working displays of the latest in robot technologies, including collaborative devices. Elsewhere, visitors will be able to test their driving skills on a Formula 1 simulator on the Megadyne stand.
Other co-location of events running alongside Drives & Controls Exhibition and Smart Industry Expo, includes:
Plant & Asset Management 2018, the UK’s premier event for plant, asset, maintenance and works management engineers and directors, showcasing the very latest in condition monitoring, CMMS, outsourcing/contract maintenance, energy efficiency, boilers/burners/combustion, handling and storage plus much more.
While Fluid Power & Systems 2018, the UK’s only exhibition totally focused on hydraulics, pneumatics, systems and related equipment, has the full support of the British Fluid Power Association (BFPA), and as such continues to be the popular choice for fluid power system manufacturers and distributors.
In addition Air-Tech 2018 is set to highlight current key themes related to the very latest in air compressor and related technology from companies from around the globe. The event is supported by the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS), and is the UK’s only dedicated event for the compressed air and generators market.
Collectively the co-location of exhibitions will be the largest manufacturing and engineering events of 2018, and will create an unmissable event.
Seminar programme
At a time when engineers are under increasing pressure, and time out of the office for attending exhibitions needs to be balanced against heavy workloads, one growing justification is attending a well-balanced and focused seminar programme where gaining further industry knowledge is at the core.
Located at the heart of the 2018 co-location is The Knowledge Hub, which will feature a free comprehensive programme of seminars and panel discussions, with speakers offering expert insight and practical advice on important and topical issues.
As part of the ongoing global transformation to the smart manufacturing era, The Knowledge Hub’s theme for 2018 is Smart Factory – Concept to Reality, the journey to a smart future.
Global initiatives and the technological paradigm shift associated with the Industrial Internet of Things, shows that there is a growing opportunity for industry to take advantage of the creativity and entrepreneurial nature of UK companies.
The uptake of smart technologies in the industrial sector will be central to our future, by improving our national productivity, creating higher value jobs, and arming our workforce with the digital skills required in the decades ahead.
The Knowledge Hub fully reflects this and will provide a fascinating insight into the potential plants of the future, with high profile panel discussions and seminars from leading figures in the industry, including:
- Lynne McGregor – Innovate UK
- Chris Richards – EEF
- Steve Brambley – GAMBICA
- Dr Susan Scurlock – Primary Engineer
- Dave Atkinson – Lloyds Bank
- Chris Buxton – BFPA
- Lina Huertas – HVM Catapult
- Sam Turner – HVM Catapult
- Jeremy Hadall – MTC
- Paul Brooks – Santander
- Mike Wilson – BARA
Plus many more.
Over the course of the three-day seminar programme, visitors will have the opportunity to experience a complete smart roadmap, with each day of the Knowledge Hub representing a different stage of the smart journey covering all aspect of the digital transformation:
- Day 1: Concept
- Day 2: Transition
- Day 3: Implementation
The UK manufacturing sector has the potential to be a global leader in the industrial digital technology revolution. This year’s Knowledge Hub theme Smart Factory – Concept to Reality, the journey to a smart future, will help ensure visitors seize the opportunities that exist and promote the benefits of adopting emerging digital technologies.
The variety and scope of the seminar programme for 2018 is extremely exciting, adding real value. The combination of leading manufacturing events, with a highly focused seminar programme, will give visitors a genuine opportunity to keep abreast of the latest industry developments.
For the full Knowledge Hub seminar programme, including session synopses, and to register, please visit:
https://www.smartindustry-expo.com
Maintenance Seminar Theatre
In addition to the Knowledge Hub, and complementing Plant & Asset Management 2018 will be a full programme of free technical seminars in a dedicated seminar theatre – The Maintenance Seminar Theatre – with speakers offering expert specific insight and practical advice on important and topical issues concerning today’s maintenance professionals.
The Plant & Asset Management 2018 free seminars will include a cross section of topics including; the economic benefits of condition-based maintenance; Maintenance 4.0; improving maintenance and managing plant availability & lifecycle costs; oil sampling and analysis; maintenance, repair and overhaul of rotating equipment, plus much more. These are just a few of the seminar topics being presented in The Maintenance Seminar Theatre at the 2018 Plant & Asset Management Exhibition.
For the full Maintenance Seminar Theatre seminar programme, including session synopses, and to register, please visit: www.maintenanceuk-expo.com
For regular show updates and to register to attend, please visit the respective official websites:
www.drives-expo.com
https://www.smartindustry-expo.com
www.maintenanceuk-expo.com
www.fluidpowersystems-expo.com
www.airtech-expo.com
