Industry inspires with engineering innovations
Last month, on 30th and 31st October 2024, over 9,800 engineering and manufacturing professionals flocked to the NEC, Birmingham to attend the 15th edition of Advanced Engineering, with visitors shown the latest industry solutions by over 400 exhibitors and where ADS hosted its largest ever Meet the Buyer event.
Image courtesy Advanced Engineering
The exhibiting companies included representatives from Atlas Copco, Optimas, Airtech Advanced Materials and RS Group. Several leading industry associations also had a presence, such as Composites UK, Innovate UK, the GTMA and the National Composites Centre. Advanced Engineering’s co-located sister show, Lab Innovations hosted a further 200 exhibitors, meaning visitors had access to an even wider array of professionals from the scientific community.
One exhibitor, James Watson, a regional director for Make UK Defence said: “This is our first time exhibiting and we’ve been blown away. We didn’t know what to expect, but the interest has been incredible. Our stand hasn’t stopped — we’ve seen a lot of existing members, along with a flood of new ones, and we’ve gathered dozens of actionable leads in one morning.”
Visitors included representatives from Airbus and Rolls-Royce, plus many more. The event had several features, new and returning, to keep attendees busy across the two days. This included the return of the Enabling Innovation zone — an area for start-ups and SMEs to showcase their cutting-edge technologies.
On the second day, Enabling Innovation exhibitors were invited to pitch their company and technology to a panel of judges, including representatives from Innovation DB and Innovate UK. Dream Big Composites was crowned with their winner, with its composite smart vacuum system — a groundbreaking IoT device that automates the critical monitoring and control of vacuum pumps to prevent leaks and thermal runaway in composite manufacturing.
“It was just marvellous to be here and have a stand to tell people about our innovation and to connect with likewise businesses that we want to work with in the future,” Mark Prince, Founder/Co-Founder, Dream Big Composites Ltd said. “There isn’t one company here today that isn’t innovating spectacularly in some way, it’s brilliant to be part of this.”
For companies targeting the aerospace and defence sectors, ADS returned with its Meet the Buyer programme, during which 103 suppliers registered for the event and 18 buyer representatives attended.
Attendees also had access to over 200 industry-leading speakers across its forums. On Advanced Engineering’s main stage, which was sponsored by Lloyds Bank, Stephen Phipson CBE, Chief Executive of Make UK delivered the keynote speech. This came at the perfect time for manufacturing and engineering businesses, as the Autumn Budget was delivered just one day prior. Phipson was able to deliver incredible insight into the UK Government’s focus for the year ahead.
Also, on the main stage were talks from Brian Holliday, head of Siemens Digital Industries for the UK and Ireland, Matthew Atkinson, lead research engineer at Jaguar Land Rover and Shaun Harris CBE, director of support and chief engineer in the Royal Air Force. There was also a Q&A with Guy Martin, British motorcycle racer turned TV presenter.
Innovate UK also hosted an impressive exhibitor pavilion showcasing its Driving the Electric Revolution initiative, featuring over 25 innovations in electrification and sustainable energy. Visitors explored advancements set to transform automotive, aerospace and energy storage sectors via the role of electrification in modern engineering.
Across the exhibition’s other forums - including aerospace, composites and advanced materials technology - visitors could hear from industry experts on topics ranging from supply chain management, digitalisation and the skills gap.
ADS Meet the Buyer
For companies targeting the aerospace and defence sectors, ADS - the trade association for the UK’s aerospace, defence, security and space sectors - returned with its Meet the Buyer programme, during which 103 suppliers registered for the event and 18 buyer representatives attended.
This was the largest ever in ADS' series of Meet the Buyer events at Advanced Engineering, with 160 meetings taking place between suppliers and 18 buyer representatives from 10 organisations, with the ADS-run programme facilitating direct business-to-business engagement, networking and business development opportunities across the value chain.
Image courtesy ADS
The Meet the Buyer at Advanced Engineering is the latest in a robust programme of business development for trade association ADS on behalf of its 1,400 members in the aerospace, defence security and space sectors.
Ashley Gasson, ADS Director of Membership & Communications said: “It is a great pleasure to see so many industry representatives took part in this Meet the Buyer event, more than we’ve ever had before. I am confident the support it provided them in forging connections with other businesses this week will prove highly valuable in time.
“I believe the enthusiasm for this event reflects the broader enthusiasm, growth and prosperity within ADS’ sectors currently. ADS are committed to supporting our members in developing their businesses and improving the resilience and prosperity of our sectors as a whole.”
ADS had a strong presence at Advanced Engineering, including hosting a range of networking opportunities at their stand in the event’s main hall, supporting businesses assess their competitiveness through the Supply Chain Solutions Framework, and collaborating with the National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Partnership.
Advanced Engineering 2025 organisers, Easyfairs, have already confimed 80% of the exhibitors that will participate in next year's exhibition, which will take place 29th and 30th October at the NEC, Birmingham.