Drives & Controls April 2022

WELCOME S5 Show Guide 2022 Message from the Organiser O n behalf of the whole team at DFA Media, I would like to extend the warmest of welcomes to all visitors, exhibitors, partners and sponsors. The 2022 co-location of events promises to be our biggest, most content-rich and widely attended outing ever. There is an almost palpable feeling in the air that every industry segment represented by our exhibitions is champing at the bit to move forward at pace in the wake of all the business and operational hurdles we have faced collectively over the past couple of years. And there is indeed much to embrace in terms of innovative and technologically advanced solutions and services ready to play an important part within your own organisations' development roadmap - things that can give you a tangible competitive edge and translate into positive business growth. We are delighted to report that our five co-located events being staged at the NEC, Birmingham from 5 to 7 April - Drives & Controls, Smart Industry Expo, Fluid Power & Systems, Air-Tech and Plant & Asset Management – have achieved completely sold-out status, reflecting an extremely positive outlook within the world of UK manufacturing and engineering. These exhibitions showcase the very best of manufacturing and engineering excellence within the UK and beyond, with regular visitor attendance of over 13,500. As usual, an additional major advantage for visitors and exhibitors alike is the fact that the event will take place alongside the ever-popular MACH exhibition, expected to attract collectively over 40,000 visitors to the NEC over a single week. But all this is only part of the story. This year will also see the introduction of a physical version of our highly popular panel discussion series, Talking Industry. As well as continuing in its now firmly established format, the NEC event will see the series' expansion from the digital sphere to live panel discussions under the Talking Industry Live brand. Also, returning for the first time in four years will be our highly popular Knowledge Hub. With a strong emphasis on technology, the Knowledge Hub will bring together all aspects of robotics and automation, plant and asset management, energy efficiency, hydraulics, pneumatics, machine safety, drives, motion control, legislation, system strategies and technological developments. It will feature representatives from across industry, including government agencies, research bodies, trade associations and manufacturers. The Knowledge Hub – sponsored by Pilz – will reflect the ongoing global transformation to the smart manufacturing era and provide insight into the potential plants of the future. Leading experts will talk in depth about the Fourth Industrial Revolution, discussing the practicalities, technologies and issues surrounding transition and implementation of digitalisation within UK manufacturing. Finally, I would like to say a big thank you to all our partner organisations - The British Valve & Actuator Association (BVAA), the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS), the British Fluid Power Association (BFPA), GAMBICA, the Association of Electrical and Mechanical Trades (AEMT), the Combustion Engineering Association (CEA), the British Automation & Robot Association (BARA), PI (Profibus, Profinet) Whatever your reasons for visiting, we are sure the time you take away from your normal work environment will be more than worthwhile. We look forward to seeing you there. Ryan Fuller, managing director, DFA Media Ltd