Hydraulics & Pneumatics May 2022

While many had at least in part adjusted to the necessity of virtual meetings via applications such as Zoom or Teams since early 2020, it was clear from the moment the doors opened to the shows at 9.30am on Tuesday 5 April that the desire for traditional face-to-face interaction, the opportunity to see state-of-the-art equipment up-close and the chance to be directly involved in expert discussion and debate was very much alive and well. Since Fluid Power & Systems made its inaugural appearance at the NEC in 2014, it has established itself as the only exhibition in the UK that is focused comprehensively on hydraulic and pneumatic equipment, along with products that facilitate better electro- mechanic system design and application for improved process automation, control, monitoring and analytics. Indeed, the 2022 outing – fully supported by the British Fluid Power Association (BFPA) and Hydraulics & Pneumatics magazine – further reinforced the exhibition’s reputation as the go-to even for all that’s cutting-edge and forward looking in the world of fluid power and related solutions. As well as the raft of established and new traditional hydraulic FLUID POWER & SYSTEMS 2022 AND AIR-TECH 2022 REVIEW 26 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS April/May 2022 www.hpmag.co.uk and Plant & Works Engineering magazines – is the only exhibition dedicated to covering comprehensively the very latest in compressed air, vacuum technology, generators and ancillary equipment from the UK’s largest gathering of world-class companies. Co-located shows Fluid Power & Systems 2022 and Air-Tech 2022 were again co-located with Drives & Controls, Plant & Asset Management and Smart Industry Expo exhibitions. These 5 exhibitions showcase the best of British manufacturing and engineering excellence with regular quality visitor attendance. These co-located events were staged alongside MACH and were held in association with BCAS, BFPA, BVAA, GAMBICA, AEMT, CEA, BARA, PI (Profibus, Profinet) and BPMA. Knowledge Hub The Knowledge Hub, sponsored by Pilz, fully reflected the ongoing global transformation to the smart manufacturing era and provided a fascinating insight into the potential plants of the future, covering all aspect of the digital transformation across the manufacturing spectrum. Leading experts addressed information around Industry and pneumatic equipment on display, it was clear that our industry is continuing to embrace digitally transformative technologies. Similarly, since its launch back in 2006, Air-Tech – fully supported by the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS), together with Hydraulics & Pneumatics Fluid Power & Systems and Air-Tech 2022 pack a punch after unprecedented challenges After all the pandemic-related constraints our industry has endured over the past couple of years, Fluid Power & Systems, Air-Tech and their co-located shows made a bravura return to the NEC in April.