Presented in an exciting and dynamic environment, with a top-level conference, practical workshops and an exhibition packed with market-leading suppliers, Manufacturing & Engineering is the place for industry professionals across the region to see new products and services, obtain high-quality business advice, and explore the latest technology.
This year, Manufacturing & Engineering is in association with the Great Exhibition of the North, celebrating manufacturing technology and design engineering and their importance to the economy of the Northern Powerhouse.
The Great Exhibition of the North, taking place throughout the summer and supported by £5 million of Government funding, will showcase the best of art, culture, design and innovation across the region. It is expected to attract an additional 1.2 million visitors to Newcastle and Gateshead and bring a £184 million boost to the North East, showing how cultural investment can benefit and inspire entire communities.
Visitors come to Manufacturing & Engineering to source new supply chain partners, build new relationships and learn from expert speakers. This year the show brings together even more local suppliers alongside global organisations. Exhibiting companies cover a wide range of technologies and services such as visual management tools from Clarity Visual Management, metrology technologies from Zeiss and GOM UK, design & manufacturing software from Autodesk and virtual & augmented reality technologies from Theorem Solutions plus many more.
Alongside the exhibitors will be a number of feature exhibits to inspire and enthuse visitors. Features include the UK’s first Hyperloop prototype pod, Nissan’s dissected all-electric Leaf car and Sunderland University’s Formula Student 2018 car.
The Hyperloop pod has been developed by the award-winning HypED, University of Edinburgh Hyperloop team. They compete in the Hyperloop Pod Competition set up in 2015 by Elon Musk. The contest challenges university teams across the globe to advance the technology of Hyperloop, a proposed system of transport that would work by propelling levitated pods electrically through low-pressure tubes at speeds of around 700mph for distances up to 900 miles. The impact on travel would be phenomenal, cutting journey times between Edinburgh and London, for example, to around 45 minutes.
Over the past three years, the HypED student team has received support from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering and College of Art, Social Sciences and Humanities to accelerate the commercial and technical development of Hyperloop. As part of an outreach programme to engage with young people, it has delivered educational workshops within the university and created two summer research opportunities for undergraduate students.
The cut-away Leaf, on loan from Make-it-Sunderland, has been used in Nissan’s advertising campaign and demonstrates the engineering skills and expertise used to produce this advanced vehicle.
The Nissan Leaf has been manufactured at Sunderland since 2013 for European markets, with the new second generation now rolling off the production line. The new Nissan Leaf is Europe’s fastest-selling electric vehicle, with sales above 19,000.
The Formula Student single seater has been developed by engineering students at Sunderland University to race in this year’s competition at Silverstone.
A key aspect of the event will be the conference programme, which will feature a mix of regional and global industry leaders and innovators. This year’s list of expert speakers includes representatives from Nissan, Toyota Material Handling, the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), Autodesk and the EEF.
Education and knowledge sharing plays a pivotal role at Manufacturing & Engineering. Visitors can choose between a programme of keynote conference sessions and practical workshop seminars covering every element of the design and manufacturing process from CAD to customer. The full programme can be found at: www.mfgengineeringshow.co.uk/conference.
Nissan will open day-one of the conference with Ian Green discussing how employers can champion careers in manufacturing for the benefit of the whole UK economy. Day two opens with Stuart Reilly of Toyota Material Handling, looking at materials handling technology and innovation, where we are now and what the future holds.
Further highlights include the HypED team from the University of Edinburgh, who will demonstrate the design challenges behind Hyperloop technology developed for the SpaceX project. Rowan Crozier, Chairman of Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN) discusses how collaboration has been the key to success for members of the MAN group. The Advanced Propulsion Centre’s Philippa Oldham will discuss maintaining the UK’s leading position as an automotive manufacturer alongside the challenge of zero emission vehicle development.
The workshop seminar programme is being kicked off with the North-East Maintenance Forum’s quarterly discussion and networking session.This will be followed by sessions from Clarity Visual Management, 3D Systems and Toyota Material Handling.
This free, two-day event allows visitors to tailor their agenda to suit their own specific interests and learning requirements. It’s quick and easy to register. Just visit www.mfgengineeringshow.co.uk to book your free place and select the sessions you would like to participate in.
