September 2021

54 n PPMA PREVIEW September 2021 www.drivesncontrols.com PPMA returns as a live event I In a few weeks’time, the PPMA Show returns to the Birmingham NEC, showcasing the latest innovations in processing and packaging machinery. This will be the first major PPMA live event since September 2019. Following the postponement of all live events in 2020 and early 2021 due to the Covid pandemic, exhibitors and visitors are getting ready to do face-to-face business with manufacturers of food, pharmaceuticals, toiletries and FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods), as well as contract packers and others. The 2021 PPMA Show will bring together more than 250 exhibiting companies, offering businesses a long-overdue opportunity to see emerging technologies and explore the latest trends in the industry. Recent research conducted among PPMA audiences reveals a strong appetite for live events, with 70% of respondents seeing trade shows as an essential platform for reviewing and making future product purchases. Richard Little, director of the PPMA Show 2021, comments:“Although online platforms help people to gather information about products, our research shows that visitors want to move on from virtual product launches and events to get closer to the technology hands- on and to speak face-to-face with product and application experts. The appetite for investment is definitely there, as well as the enthusiasm to resume business as usual. We’re setting out to support our community’s business recovery.” Health and safety precautions relating to Covid are being implemented for the event. To reassure visitors about cleanliness and safety, the NEC has introduced advanced cleaning measures, and hand-sanitising stations will be located at all entrances and at numerous locations around the venue. Physical touchpoints will be reduced and there will be ample outdoor space for visitors wanting to get some fresh air and to take a break from the exhibition floor during their visit. There will, of course, be differences in the way that the 2021 event is run compared to previous years. For example, on-site catering provisions have been modified and the organisers are advising visitors to limit what they bring to the show. Pre-registration will be compulsory for all visitors this year and they are being advised to follow the latest local guidance at the time of the show with regards to face masks, isolating and symptoms to ensure the safety of themselves and others at the event. Several companies will be using PPMA to unveil new products. For example Scorpion Vision is launching two low-cost, high-speed, high-resolution machine vision cameras with ultra-fast frame rate capabilities at full resolution. The 25Mpixel Hypersen HPS-HSC5K offers frame rates of 150 fps at full resolution, while the 2.2Mpixel Hypersen HPS-HSC2K offers frame rates of 1490 fps at full resolution. The cameras, which are said to have“highly attractive”price points, are suitable for applications where both spatial resolution and speed are critical – such as inspection applications on high-speed production lines, as well as high-speed process and machinery diagnostics and logistics applications. Omron UK will be demonstrating a modular, plug-and-play cobot palletiser, developed in partnership with Reeco , which promises 50% cost savings and delivery“within weeks”. The RB1200 palletiser has a maximum payload of 10kg, a cycle time of 12 picks per minute, requires no system integration, and is said to have a 60% smaller footprint than conventional robot palletisers. The material-handling specialist Interroll will be exhibiting its energy-efficient drive technologies for roller and belt conveyors, and a modular conveyor platform. Its new RollerDrive EC5000 motor roller range, available in three power levels and in 24V or 48V versions, is at the core of zero-pressure- After a two-year absence, the PPMA processing and packaging machinery show is returning to the Birmingham NEC next month. Recent research among attendees has revealed a strong appetite for live events, with 70% seeing trade shows as an essential platform.