The MACH Exhibition organisers say that positive growth forecasts combined with the new green manufacturing agenda mean the show is poised to be the go to event in 2022.
MACH 2022 will take place from 4 to 8 April at the NEC, Birmingham. Organised by the industry, for the industry, MACH is owned by the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA), a not-for-profit organisation.
The Engineering Supply Chain will launch alongside MACH, taking place 5 to 7 April 2022 and is the destination of choice for engineering and manufacturing buyers looking to find world-class suppliers, exclusively in the UK engineering and manufacturing supply chain.
Engineering Capacity is an official media partner of MACH 2022 and is exhibiting in the Engineering Supply Chain show on stand 7 – 510.
The 2022 events are designed to not just be a showcase for the manufacturing technologies sector, but a celebration of the manufacturing industry at its best - the development of the digital factory, new automation solutions and connected manufacturing processes, power by the hour and the cost efficiency solutions that will dramatically improve production processes and help shape the industry over the next decade.
Chief Executive Officer at the MTA, James Selka DL said: “There has been talk in the national media and beyond recently about the challenges facing the manufacturing industry, much of it ill- informed and spouted by those without any real knowledge of what these challenges truly are.”
“The Manufacturing Technologies Association is different. Why? – Because we are the industry. We are owned by the industry, and we talk regularly to our members to develop a true understanding of the issues facing them and what steps are needed to create the conditions under which they can thrive and add value as an important wealth-creating component of British industry.”
James Selka continued: “Unlike other commercial multi-sector organisations, the manufacturing technologies industry is in our DNA. For this reason, MACH is not just another manufacturing industry exhibition…it is the national manufacturing and engineering industry exhibition. We are staged for manufacturers by manufacturers; our members, our Board and most importantly in this context, our exhibition committee, all work to ensure we reflect the industry’s true needs and offer show content that is relevant and value-enhancing.”
Green manufacturing
James Fudge, Head of Operations at the MTA, outlined why MACH is the place to go for manufacturers looking to develop a sustainable, competitive advantage.
He said: “With the COP26 global summit focussing attention on the importance of tackling climate change, the green agenda has never been more relevant to UK manufacturers. Manufacturers have a key role to play in helping to achieve the goals outlined by the Glasgow summit - which is why there will be a strong focus on the opportunities presented by decarbonisation during MACH 2022.”
“The exhibition will have a strong emphasis on developing sustainable energy solutions, carbon reduction technology and much more. The desire to achieve sustainable manufacturing processes is now within our grasp and the latest engineering and manufacturing technologies are massively contributing to the ‘greening up’ of the industry. We stand at the threshold of a new era for green manufacturing with the processes required to achieve sustainability no longer a dream, but a reality. The opportunities this creates for the manufacturing technologies industry is immense.”
Companies exhibiting at MACH 2022 will be demonstrating why effective use of technology will be critical in achieving the low carbon agenda and how this will provide a competitive edge for UK manufacturing.
James Selka added: “There have never been more reasons for UK manufacturers to be confident. We no longer have to imagine how we are going to do this - the ability to achieve this lies in our own hands. We can manufacture closer to need, thereby reducing damaging product miles; we can manufacture to individual market specification, allowing performance optimisation to local needs; we can manufacture to demand quantity, thereby reducing or eradicating the need to over produce (as is so often the case with batch manufacture).
“We must start being more ambitious as a country, moving our attitude from “how much will it cost” to “what value will this investment bring to our business?” – and we have the weapons in our armoury to achieve this. Generous government support packages in the form of the Annual Investment Allowance of £1M, the super deduction capital allowance incentive and the extension of R&D tax credit to include cloud computing and research data costs, all encourage vital investment.
“Never have the latest technologies been more powerful, more affordable and financeable as they are now, even factoring in modest increases in interest rates. It is up to us to grasp these opportunities and MACH 2022 will be an important guide in helping us to achieve this.”
UK’s manufacturing supply chain
Since bringing the Engineering Industries Association (EIA) on board as part of the MTA family earlier this year, work has been ongoing to shine a spotlight on the UK engineering supply chain during MACH 2022.
James Selka explained: “Frustratingly for manufacturers, many have been powerless to avert a crisis not of their making, as the ongoing disruption to supply chains both nationally and internationally, starves them of the raw materials they need, slowing production schedules and interrupting deliveries. The manufacturing supply chain is more complex than most and therefore more susceptible to disruption. All this means a remodelling of supply chains in a post-Covid world is inevitable and why the situation will be another key focus at MACH 2022.
“We would like to see a more sustainable approach to the UK supply chain, with more intelligent sourcing of product from within the UK. Encouragingly, many companies from within the UK are already looking at reshoring. The Engineering Supply Chain Exhibition, a show within a show, is launching for the first time at MACH 2022 and is intended to highlight some of the opportunities that can be found within the UK supply chain. This new exhibition is where engineering and manufacturing buyers can go to find world-class suppliers, exclusively in the UK engineering and manufacturing supply chain.”
The Engineering Supply Chain Show will complement MACH and help businesses as they look for the innovative solutions that will resist climate change. Shortening the supply chain by sourcing more domestic content will also help support our other major focus for MACH 2022 – the previously mentioned Green Manufacturing initiatives. Reducing carbon footprints by lessening the distance between suppliers will help combat climate change as well as inevitably helping to reduce transport costs.