Supported by several of the UK’s top industry organisations, such as the Farnborough Aerospace Consortium, the SMMT, GTMA and CBM, the show provides a focal point for manufacturing enterprise across the southern half of the country, which includes a significant portion of the UK’s £32 billion aerospace industry.
Also supporting the show was Composites UK and NetComposites, two of the UK’s leading trade organisations for the rapidly-growing composites and advanced materials sector. Representatives from these organisations, along with other experts from industry and academia, provided three days of high-level insight at the show’s free technical seminar programme, which also proved popular with visitors.
As one of the earliest major exhibitions of the year, Southern Manufacturing provides an interesting weather vane for the mood of UK manufacturing, and particularly so this year, coming hard on the heels of Brexit.
Along with record numbers of attendees, feedback from exhibitors mirrored a generally optimistic outlook for manufacturing. Peter Purdy, director of sales for RPL commented: “There has been a higher proportion of applications discussed this year; all the good conversations have been with new people.”
Allan Turvey of Bystronic noted: “We’ve had a lot of good enquiries, some from customers considering investment and lots of existing customers with new projects. Ruth Beckett of Fischer Connectors added: “The show has been excellent; very busy. The footfall has been good with a healthy mix of industries – from motorsport, instrumentation and military.”
Southern Manufacturing & Electronics will return to Farnborough from February 9-11 2021 and over 70% of stand space has already been reserved.
Southern Manufacturing & Electronics www.industrysouth.co.uk