Read-out.net visits MTEC 2008

Edited by the Processingtalk editorial team Feb 21, 2008

Eoin O'Riain of Read-out.net in Ireland sends in his views about this year's MTEC Exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham: it seems these February exhibitions are to be rescheduled to March next year!

When this correspondent arrived at the halls, where MTEC and the seven associated exhibitions were showing their wares - it's a long walk from the railway station - the first thing to notice was the longish queues waiting to register! It didn't worry him because he had an "Express Ticket" and like last year he thought that he could just stroll in waving the ticket.

But no! The new organisers had changed the system and the "Express" visitors also had to queue, albeit in a different queue for holders of Express Tickets so that they could collect a see-through holder to put the ticket into.

The queue wasn't too long but it was a queue! On entering the show that first morning there was a buzz which has perhaps been missing the last couple of years.

The shows up to now have been divided into various sections and some sections required a reading of the bar code on the name tickets as visitors passed from show to show.

Now all seven shows are more integrated.

MTEC and its associated shows were purchased by Canon Communications early last year though the changes really were not that great other than those already pointed out.

However things are going to change markedly for their 2009 outing.

At a press conference "An extravanganza (sic) of excellence" was announced.

Next year the shows will take place under the catch-all title of Advanced Manufacturing UK 2009.

The shows gathered under this umbrella include a new Green Manufacturing Exhibition and Conference.

The show is scheduled slightly later, in March next year (25th and 26th March 2009), and in the words of Mark Temple-Smith, Canon Event Director for Europe and Asia, "will showcase an extravaganza of manufacturing excellence that creates an unrivalled forum for high-technology manufacturing!".

To recap the shows involved are MTEC, MEDTEC UK, Machine Building and Automation, IPOT, 3C, Practical Vacuum, Vision Technology (VTX) and for the first time in Britain, the new Green Manufacturing Exhibition and Conference.

Kevin O'Keefe, Senior VP Events Division, spoke about the Green Manufacturing Event which is expected to feature over 100 exhibitors providing the full range of products and services required to achieve sustainable manufacturing processes and facilitate the introduction of eco-friendly products.

"Technologies on display will include practical solutions to reduce, reuse and recycle, as well as pioneering developments such as new bio-materials and fuels, wind and solar alternative energy, new recycling equipment and control software".

They were involved in the first Green Manufacturing Show in Anaheim and the success of this is what has prompted Canon Communications to embark on this new venture on this side of the Atlantic.

Although the current US administrations cannot really be said to have grasped the green philosophy to its breast it is generally believed that the next administration will be much more amenable to concepts such as global warming and carbon emissions.

As Kevin O'Keefe said "We're not sure where green is going but it is going!".

Green manufacturing is seen as a growing reality and they felt that they needed to provide US manufacturers with all the necessary information and tools to take advantage of the latest products and technology to improve their processes.

The economic benefit of 'going Green' was very tangible in terms of reducing energy costs, improving recycling and treatment methods, getting ahead of the regulatory curve, and building customer goodwill.

The response to this first event was phenomenal, so much so that they are organising a slate of Green Manufacturing Expos across the United States through 2008.

O'Keefe adds "Simply put, selling Green works!".

The MTEC 2008 show itself was not that different from previous years, a few old friends were gone and some new ones were dipping their toes in the water.

There were no real showstoppers other than the news of the organiser's plans for the future.

There was, as previously mentioned, an atmosphere there and exhibitors seemed to be talking to customers rather than themselves, which perhaps is a good sign and bodes well for the future.

Some details of what individual companies may be gleaned from the Instrumentation Signpost website.