It’s show time

IP&E is the official magazine of Maintec which takes place at the NEC Birmingham from 30th-31st October and the IP&E team is really looking forward to this year’s show. As well as being an excellent forum for networking and finding out about new products and technology, this year’s event features a new-look education programme that promises not to disappoint. Visitors will be able to enjoy a variety of different session formats including; keynote presentations, in-depth case study reviews of active maintenance projects, technical sessions, and panel discussions – full details in the maintenance supplement from page 8 onwards. We look forward to seeing you at the show.  

In our industry focus this issue we take a look at the Automotive Industry. With the government’s ambition for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040 in mind, Charlotte Stonestreet considers some of the challenges and opportunities around the manufacture of low emission vehicles in All things electric (page 10). 

Meanwhile, according to AkzoNobel end-to-end digitalisation of the plant at one of its paint factories has helped the company feel like they have jumped 30 years ahead. As well as reducing the time it takes the paint specialist to get its products to market by 85% connecting every manufacturing process vertically and horizontally, allowing the entire factory to communicate and become automated, has helped them to reach their sustainability goals of reducing waste, reusing energy and using less solvent. Read all about it on page 16.

In another nod to the future, I went to visit automation specialist Comau to find out more about why they’re investing in exoskeletons and how this wearable technology is on track to define our factories of the future. I also found out more about their vision for HUMANufacturing. More on page 86. 

Enjoy the issue and as always your feedback is very welcome.