Strong support for MACH affirms strength of UK manufacturing

TIMES REMAIN tough for the UK economy but manufacturers are laser-focused on identifying opportunities for growth and one of the tools to help them achieve that remains the industry’s largest and most successful trade show, MACH.

The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) is looking forward to the next exhibition, which opens its doors at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on 15 April next year.

Growing industry confidence

Given the economic climate, staging such an exhibition could be beset with problems, however, with more than 200 days to go until the show starts, manufacturers have already booked out more than 80% of floorspace - a clear intent of their growing confidence in the industry, despite what current figures might suggest.

The MTA is naturally delighted with the response, not just for the show’s benefit but for the important message it sends to the industry and the wider economy that UK manufacturing is alive and kicking.

The reputation of MACH for its proven success helping companies succeed is too strong to ignore. Time and again the exhibition has proved pivotal to the economy, with its track record of generating millions of pounds worth of business for the manufacturing technologies industry.

Anyone thinking of exhibiting at the show should not delay their decision in order to secure the location of their choice. We will try and accommodate everyone, and we have contingencies in place should the strong demand continue. It is an enviable position to be in and is in defiance of those who said it would be harder to fill an event such as MACH given the economic climate.

We had expected MACH 2022 to be the pivotal event for the industry but if anything, 2024 is looking even more critical to the future of UK manufacturing which is why so many companies want to be involved.

Improving economic outlook 

Partly, the economic picture is also looking more positive than it did last year, or even earlier this year. Latest figures are a little behind the real picture; inflation finally seems to have peaked, and the green shoots are finally visible. Of course, there’s still a long way to go, but the importance of MACH in helping to stimulate any recovery cannot be overlooked. 

An audience of around 26,000 people are expected to attend the event over the five days. It is MACH’s unique ability to connect manufacturing engineers, decision makers, buyers, and specifiers with suppliers of new technology, equipment, services, and processes that is key to its success. It is why the event consistently attracts important stakeholders in such large numbers.

MACH 2024, which is once again sponsored by Lloyds Bank, opens its doors at the NEC in Birmingham on 15th April 2024. The five-day event will feature the largest display of new machinery and manufacturing technologies under one roof in the UK. If, as expected, it follows the trend of previous exhibitions then transactions worth hundreds of millions of pounds are likely to be agreed.

Generating high-quality leads

The beauty of MACH is that it is not just a five-day exhibition; it generates an ongoing pipeline of high-quality leads and opportunities that continue to generate sales long after the show has ended.

If companies are to be successful in the future then they have to make step change improvements in productivity now. To this they need three things - technologies, the skill to acquire and deploy those technologies, and the finance to make it happen. 

Technologies remain affordable and the benefits they offer in terms of productivity gains makes the return-on-investment equation far more palatable. Many of these new technologies will be on display at MACH, which is why people are able to make such informed investment decisions and another reason for the show’s popularity.

James Selka is CEO of the Manufacturing Technologies Association

For more information:

www.machexhibition.com

Tel: 020 7298 6420