A programme of high-profile speakers from across the manufacturing technologies spectrum has been announced for MACH 2022.
The speakers have been selected to offer valuable insight into latest developments across this important sector and to provide intuitive market intelligence to the thousands of people expected to visit the UK’s national manufacturing show.
Aside from being one of the first national gatherings of the UK engineering community post-COVID-19, the exhibition, which opens its doors at the NEC in Birmingham on Monday 4th April, will feature the largest display of new machinery and advanced manufacturing technologies under one roof in the UK for four years.
James Selka, CEO of The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) – the organiser of the show, said: “The global shift towards greater sustainability has gathered significant momentum during the past four years and the drive to Net Zero and the opportunities offered by decarbonisation will be a core theme of MACH 2022.
“This will be reflected in the speaker programme, with several speakers basing their presentations on this important subject. Hopefully, this will encourage visitors to the show to discover more about the opportunities provided by these new technologies and to implement them into their own operations.”
Speakers will also address other important topics relating to the sector including the development of digital manufacturing technologies, the emerging role of additive manufacturing, the importance of cyber security and investment strategies.
The programme begins at midday on Monday 4th April, with Katherine Bennett CBE, chief executive of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, delivering the keynote speech in which she will address two of the key themes of the show – the importance of sustainability in manufacturing and the drive to net zero, alongside the importance of the advanced engineering sector.
Professor Juergen Maier, co-chair of Made Smarter, will be picking up on this theme when he delivers his presentation 'Delivering a Responsible and Decarbonising Made Smarter' on Wednesday 6th April.
On the following day, John Pearce, CEO of Made in Britain will be chairing a panel discussion entitled 'Race to Net Zero - Destination or Dream' which focuses on the importance of sustainability in manufacturing.
Key market intelligence will be provided by Rhys Herbert, senior economist at headline sponsor Lloyds Bank, who will deliver 'UK Manufacturing - Better Times Ahead' on Thursday 7th April. In this presentation he will provide an overview of the current state of the UK manufacturing sector and the economic opportunities that lie ahead for manufacturers. Mr Herbert is responsible for analysing and forecasting trends in the UK and other major economies, with a special interest in the manufacturing sector.
Additive manufacturing (AM) will be the subject of several presentations. On the Wednesday of the show, Kieron Salter, CEO at the Digital Manufacturing Centre, will discuss how to utilise the opportunities posed by AM to develop cost-effective component production. This will be followed by a presentation from Ed Cant, advanced research engineer at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, who will discuss ‘The Future of Tooling and Fixturing in Additive Manufacturing’.
Stuart Watt, advanced research engineer at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, will round off the AM discussions by outlining where those looking to utilise the disruptive technology of 3D printing within their business should begin.
On Thursday, a familiar face to MACH, David Holmes, director of operations and technology for Air BAE Systems, will be talking about the manufacturing technology requirements BAE needs in order to remain competitive in a global market. Mr Holmes, along with Mr Herbert and Professor Maier were all presenters at the virtual MACH preview event in 2021.
To mark the debut of The Engineering Supply Chain Show, there will also be a dedicated speaker programme for this event, which runs alongside the main MACH exhibition between 5-7 April. Presentations are being aimed at the network of companies comprising the UK’s manufacturing supply chain.
This programme kicks off with a presentation from Steve Brown, director of UK water stewardship programmes, central solutions, who will outline how manufacturers and engineering SMEs can take the lead in sustainability.
Lugano Kapembwa, co-founder and CEO of Loopcycle, will use his presentation to help steer the B2B manufacturing sector through the unlocking of the circular economy through digitisation.
The programme will also address the themes of Net Zero and the drive to greener manufacturing.
Mr Selka added: “The MTA is constantly communicating with the top tiers of the UK manufacturing community so it can target the issues that directly affect manufacturers. One of the MTA’s aims when drawing up the programme was to select speakers that could engage and inspire their audience, as well as directly address the issues of concern to today’s manufacturers.
“We believe we have achieved this objective , and we are urging visitors to MACH 2022 to check out the full program in advance so they can identify the presentations they want to attend and not miss out.”
Spaces for each session will be limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors should go to the MACH 2022 Map Your Show website to choose the seminars they want to attend and secure their place.
