Southern Manufacturing and Electronics 2017 returns to FIVE, Farnborough, from March 21st to 23rd. The change from its traditional timing in February to new, more convenient dates in early Spring marks another step in the evolution of the UK’s most enduring engineering exhibition, now approaching the end of its second decade.
The rescheduling of the event to March was met with universal approval, prompting record re-bookings for 2017. The 2016 show drew approximately 8,600 visitors, which is itself a new record and vindication of the organiser’s commitment to Farnborough over alternative locations in the South of the country. With greater ease of access and local infrastructure development getting close to completion, the organisers are hopeful of another substantial climb in visitor numbers for 2017.
At around 18,000 square metres, and hosting over 800 exhibitors, Southern 2017 is a significant event by any standard, providing as it does a rare annual opportunity to see the latest machinery from many of the top manufacturers being put through its paces. Not only is it hands-down the most significant annual manufacturing exhibition in the UK, it is also the first of the New Year, presenting those shopping for new machinery the earliest chance to see and compare the most up-to-date solutions from multiple major manufacturers and suppliers. The scale of the exhibition ensures that many machinery suppliers also see Southern as their main annual showcase. This happy convergence ensures that both the quantity and variety of equipment on show is always impressive.
The live demonstrations in the Machinery Area is for many people the heart of the show, in which visitors can truly obtain a feel for the machinery in action. Furthermore it’s not only the high-end, high price tag machining centres dominating the line-up; a great feature of Southern Manufacturing is the fact that it offers the opportunity to meet up with a large selection of vendors of all sizes. As far as machinery, there are lots of entry-level and compact solutions to see about as well as the top of the range kit.
Visitors to Southern Manufacturing 2017 will meet a lot of familiar faces in the Machinery Area. XYZ Machine Tools, C. Duggard, Yamazaki Mazak, Matsuura, Unison and Haas Automation are just a few. Bystronic will be highlighting its Mobile Bending Cell, a compact solution for automated and manual bending. The technology behind the new bending cell is the Xpert 40 together with bending robotics, which combine a fast press brake with mobile automation. With the Mobile Bending Cell, users process large series with the automatic bending mode. However, they can also manually bend small series and individual parts whenever necessary.
Alongside the machinery, there are numerous tooling providers exhibiting, including 1st Machine Tool Accessories and Vargus Tooling amongst others. Arno UK exhibits for the first time, showing its range of turning tools. Workholding solutions on show for 2017 include Schunk Intec, Roemheld UK and AMF Andreas Maier GmbH, and there are literally hundreds of other related suppliers providing for pretty much every conceivable production requirement. Some of the names to look out for include Nikon Metrology, Renishaw, Q8 Oils, Faro Technology, Laser Lines and TLM Laser. There’s a wide range of business services available too, including specialist asset finance and banking services for manufacturers.
The show is also a leading event for the subcontracting industry. Technology Trails help guide visitors around the key areas of the show, and make it easy to locate firms with expertise in particular areas such as Aerospace, Automotive, Medical Technology or Defence. A huge range of engineering services are on display, including everything from precision engineering, specialist coatings, sheet metal and fabrication, right the way through to box-build, contract electronics assembly and product testing/inspection services. An added attraction is the show’s highly-regarded free technical seminar programme. Running in 2 lecture theatres over the three days of the event, the one-hour seminars cover an extensive selection of business and technical topics, all delivered by notable expert presenters in their respective fields.
Entry to the show and the technical seminars is free of charge, and FIVE Farnborough boasts ample free car parking. There’s convenient accessibility by road from the M3 or by public transport. A complimentary shuttle bus connects the exhibition and both of Farnborough’s railway stations. To register for tickets, just go to www.industrysouth.co.uk . Event visitors can stay informed with the latest event and exhibitor info by visiting the show’s official blog, http://blog.industrysouth.co.uk, by following @industry_co_uk #southmanf on Twitter or by becoming a member of the show’s official LinkedIn group at LinkedIn at http://linkedin.industrysouth.co.uk
