Manufacturing & Engineering week gets smart

This subtle shift reflects the event's forward-looking ethos, which places a strong emphasis on new technologies, tools, and solutions propelling the industry forward.

Verity Noon, Marketing Director at Nineteen Group, shared her insights on this change, stating: "The week revolves around cutting-edge innovations in hardware and software, addressing the current challenges faced by the industry, including Industry 4.0, sustainability, and supply chain shortages, among others. Manufacturers and engineers are perpetually seeking smarter ways to enhance efficiency, maintain a competitive edge, explore novel business models, and adopt progressive practices. Smart Manufacturing & Engineering Week is poised to facilitate precisely that."

With a record attendance of over 10,000 manufacturers, designers, engineers, and maintenance professionals in 2023, the event is set to expand significantly beyond its previous scope, featuring more than 450 exhibitors. Notably, Drives & Controls will be joining the lineup in Hall 5. Laura Parris, Event Director for Drives & Controls at Nineteen Group, expressed the significance of this addition, stating: "Drives & Controls has long been a renowned name in the UK industrial exhibitions sector, with a rich history that dates back to its origins in Telford. Now, it seamlessly finds its place as part of Smart Manufacturing & Engineering Week."

The participation of technology firms such as Weidmuller, Pilz, Sigmatek, and Festo in Drives & Controls enhances the event's synergy with other exhibitions, including Design & Engineering Expo, Smart Factory Expo, and Maintec. Additionally, Air-Tech and Fluid Power & Systems will return, taking place in Hall 5 of the NEC.

Smart Manufacturing & Engineering Week 2024 promises a multitude of live events. Senior manufacturing leaders will have the opportunity to attend the Manufacturing Digitalisation Summit, the Director's Forum, the Industrial Data Summit, and the Manufacturing Automation and Robotics Summit. The week will also host the prestigious Manufacturer Top 100 Award ceremony, celebrating the contributions of UK manufacturing heroes to the sector.

The event enjoys the support of prominent organisations, institutions, and trade bodies representing the UK's industrial and manufacturing sector, including the MTC, GAMBICA, Make UK, and Engineering UK. Members of these organisations will play a role in curating the educational and thought leadership programme across the seven Solution Theatres.

Sustainability is a paramount concern not only for the industrial sector but also for the event organisers themselves. Smart Manufacturing & Engineering Week will continue its carbon-neutral commitment in 2024, with over 20,000 trees planted in the Nineteen Group Forest since 2022. Engineers Without Borders UK remains the event's charity partner, ensuring the promotion of globally responsible engineering practices among engineers and their affiliated businesses.

Peter Jones, CEO of Nineteen Group, expressed his thoughts on the launch of Smart Manufacturing & Engineering Week 2024, stating: "In 2023, we empowered our team to create an event that departed from the traditional conventions of industrial exhibitions and conferences. The festival atmosphere they cultivated will be further enhanced in 2024, and the inclusion of Drives & Controls in Hall 5 compels us to think even bigger, as there are now more individuals to engage and entertain."

Grace Gilling, Managing Director of The Manufacturer, also welcomed the evolution of the event's name in 2024, highlighting the importance of smart manufacturing, which encompasses not only technology but also the exchange of practices and ideas among peers and manufacturers. This collaborative approach aligns with the essence of Smart Manufacturing & Engineering Week, emphasising that the industrial community stands together in this endeavour.

Smart Manufacturing & Engineering Week is scheduled to take place from the 3^rd-7^th June 2024, with Drives & Controls opening from the 4^th-6^th June (3 days) in Hall 5 at the NEC in Birmingham. The other live events will occur on the 5^th-6^th June only (2 days) in Hall 4, located adjacent to Hall 5. Concurrently, other exhibitions organised by different event organisers will also be held at the NEC during the week, including the UK Garage & Bodyshop event by Messe Frankfurt, Med-Tech Innovation Expo and TCT 3Sixty by Rapid News Group, and Subcon by the Mark Allen Group. A single visitor registration for Smart Manufacturing & Engineering Week grants access to all these events.

Stay tuned for registration details, and for more information, please visit: www.mandeweek.co.uk.