Plant & Works Engineering October 2022

News October 2022 www.pwemag.co.uk Plant & Works Engineering | 0 7 DFA Media Group has sold the Drives & Controls Show, and its co-located events – Plant & Asset Management, Fluid Power & Systems, Air-Tech and Smart Industry Expo – to Nineteen Group, which organises the annual Manufacturing + Engineering Week (M+E Week) event at the Birmingham NEC. The terms of the transaction have not been revealed. The deal does not affect the Drives & Controls magazine and Website, or its sister publications – including Plant &Works Engineering, Hydraulics & Pneumatics and the online portal Smart Futures – which will continue to be published by DFA Manufacturing Media. The Talking Industry series of Webinars and podcasts will not be affected either. The five transferred events will join the M+E Week line-up – which already includes the Design Engineering Expo, the Engineering Expo, the Manufacturing Expo and Maintec – in 2024. “Drives & Controls is another exciting addition to the Nineteen family and fits with our strategy to create the leading platform for manufacturing events in the UK,” says Nineteen Group CEO, Peter Jones. “The UK is the ninth-largest manufacturer in the world and is facing a period of unprecedented change which is always the major ingredient for trade show innovation. This event is completely synergistic with the rest of our rapidly growing manufacturing portfolio.” The Drives & Controls Show has been the meeting point for the industry since it launched at the Motorcycle Museum in 1991. DFA Media Group CEO Ian Atkinson and MD Ryan Fuller acquired the event in 2004 and relocated the show to the NEC where it has become the leading event in a growing industry driven by the adoption of automation and Industry 4.0. DFA Manufacturing Media will be the lead media partner for the event under its new ownership and will be responsible for producing the show catalogue and promoting the event. It will also have a significant presence at future M+E Week events and will support the events’ development with its media products. Haf Cennydd has joined Nineteen Group as exhibition director and will lead the integration of the exhibitions. “This is a fabulous opportunity for the Drives & Controls Show to continue on its growth path and expand as part of a wider group of world-class manufacturing events,” says DFA CEO, Ian Atkinson. “Peter Jones and his team have strong exhibition experience and will invest in the Drives & Controls Show. As lead media partner, we will work closely with Haf and the team at Nineteen to ensure the sector has lots of touch points throughout the year.” DFA Manufacturing Media’s MD, Ryan Fuller added: “This also allows DFA Manufacturing Media to focus more heavily on developing its content-related products and electronic/digital products closely aligned to the Drives & Controls media brand.” SME smart digital manufacturing guide launched DFA Media sells Drives show and co-location of events A digital transformation specialist has partnered with a leading alliance of trade associations to create a smart digital manufacturing guide specific to the needs of its SME members. LMAC Consulting are certified assessors for Smart Industry Readiness Index (SIRI) – the internationally recognised standard for Industry 4.0 planning and endorsed by the World Economic Forum – who tailor a Smarter 4.0 roadmap and data analytics pathway while delivering a tangible bottom line benefit. EAMA (Engineering & Machinery Alliance) constitutes 10 bodies working with government and others to strengthen the machinery and component supply chain in the UK – and their members will benefit from proven organisational processes that deliver significant digital benefits and returns, but in a scalable and pragmatic way. The guide summarises the different pillars of Industry 4.0, the impact they have on costs and KPIs, as well as giving examples of them in action. SIRI meanwhile measures a business’ current maturity and prioritises the digital transformation dimensions that will have the greatest impact on an SME business, aligned to its strategic priorities. EAMA Secretary, Jack Semple, says: “This insightful guide is fit-for-purpose for our members and long overdue help and advice after the delays caused by Brexit and COVID. It’s both a training and education solution that gives them quick productivity improvement wins, but also the longer term framework for sustainable change. “I like LMAC’s logical and down-to-earth approach and they have direct and relevant experience of supporting SME manufacturing companies in both the UK and New Zealand using globally recognised methodologies, whereby everyone benefits by working together.” LMAC CEO, Alastair Crawford, adds: “Industry 4.0 principles and technology enable manufacturers to keep their advantage and grow in a market constrained by available skills and rising costs – without wasting time and misguided direction and factoring in the change management issue that arise. “There is much to be gained from going digital in today’s tougher economic climate and we’ll also be giving EAMA leaders some of the skills to do it themselves. Equally, by combining our expertise and benchmarking we can shape best practice ideas and also look to influence funding, policy and digital support going forward.”