DAC 2021_12

46 n SHOW PREVIEW November/December 2021 www.drivesncontrols.com Excitement mounts as Drives Show gets closer I t is now less than six months until the Drives & Controls Show and its co- located events return to the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham. There has been considerable interest in the events from exhibitors and visitors alike, and the available exhibition space has almost all been sold. Alongside Drives & Controls will the co- located events: Smart Industry Expo; Air- Tech; Fluid Power & Systems; and Plant & Asset Management. Also running at the same time at the NEC, will be the Manufacturing Technologies Association’s Mach manufacturing event, as well as the new Engineering Supply Chain Show, also organised by the MTA. There has been a flurry of new exhibitors booking some of the few remaining stands over the past few weeks. Some are familiar names from previous years returning to the show, while others will be making their debut at the 2022 event. One well-known name reappearing at the show will be the motors, drives and controls manufacturer WEG , which has decided to return to Drives & Controls after considering moving next door to the MACH show. Another company that has picked Drives & Controls rather than Mach, after appearing there previously, is the cable management, energy chain and cable entry specialist Butterkeit . First-time exhibitors at the 2022 Drives & Controls Show will include: n Applied Integration UK , the Stokesley, North Yorkshire, based integrator of automation, robotics, smart manufacturing and AGV systems, and supplier of lifecycle services; n Idem Safety Switches , the Wigan-based supplier of safety switches, interlocks, limit switches, relays and emergency stops; n Machine Building Systems from Ripley, Derbyshire, which distributes Item aluminium profile systems and Elcom flat belt conveyors, and offers design and frame- building services for automation projects, including linear motion systems, roller conveyors and industrial safety fences; n Marechal Electric , part of the global Marechal group which has a turnover of almost €100m, and specialises in low-voltage connection technologies up to 700A as well as electrical systems for potentially explosive atmospheres; and n Ripley Solutions , the Dudley, West Midlands, designer and installer of tailored IT infrastructure and cloud systems designed to integrate with operational technology. One returning exhibitor at the Drives Show that has rebooked in the past few weeks is Emas Electric , the UK business of the Turkish electrical and electronic component and sensor manufacturer, Emas. Elsewhere in the co-located shows, you will find other exhibitors of interest to those involved in the automation sector. In the Plant & Asset Management (PAM) show, for example, a recent signing is Southampton- based Senseye , which has developed a global business supplying AI-powered predictive maintenance systems which, it claims, can reduce unplanned downtime by 50% and increase operational efficiencies by 40%. Also in PAM, a new exhibitor is MaintMaster , a UK operation recently set up by a Swedish supplier of cloud-based maintenance management systems which help manufacturers to digitalise and improve efficiency while cutting downtime, increasing machinery lifetimes, and allowing greater control over maintenance. In the Smart Industry Expo, a new arrival is Staffordshire-based Smart Actuated Valves , which specialises in valves, actuators, positioners and other technologies for process applications. In the Fluid Power & Systems event, you will find Atam UK , which offers products that are used to control fluids such as gas, air, water, oil and steam. Its products include coils and electromagnets, actuators, connection systems, and proximity sensors and pressure switches. Another new arrival in Fluid Power & Systems is Thorite , which describes itself as “the UK's leading supplier of air compressors, air tools, pneumatics and process products”. It can trace its history back more than 150 years, and currently has 11 branch operations across the North of England. n With the return of the Drives & Controls Show and its associated events now less than six months away, excitement is building. Exhibition space is running out and there have been a flurry of last-minute bookings. SMC will be returning to the cluster of exhibitions that includes Drives & Controls with its traditionally vast stand SHOW FACTS Where: NEC, Birmingham When: 5–7 April, 2022 Entry: Free Web site: https://www.drives-expo.com Hashtag: #DrivesExpo LinkedIn: @Drives & Controls https://www.linkedin.com/company/1827 2382/admin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/drivesncontrols Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrivesnControls