Smart Industry Expo 2018 gears up for the 4IR revolution

The idea relies on sophisticated software and machines that communicate with each other to optimise production. However in the UK there is an enormous vacuum, and many companies need guidance in order to be prepare for this transformation.

The inaugural Smart Industry Expo will take place alongside Drives & Controls, Fluid Power & Systems, Plant & Asset Management, and Air-Tech Exhibitions atBirmingham’s NEC  (Halls 8, 9 and 10) from 10^th -12^th April 2018. The 2018 co-location will be at least 1000m² bigger than the 2016 exhibition, thanks to the addition of the Smart Industry Expo event.

The new event will give exhibitors the opportunity to communicate directly with senior management across the whole of the UK industrial spectrum, from managing directors, financial directors, and owners to process/control and IT/ automation management, plus many more who are all seeking guidance in order to prepare for this smart engineering transformation.

The organiser, DFA Media, says Smart Industry Expo2018 will be an ideal opportunity for visitors to learn how to prepare for this smart era as well as seeing first hand the variety of technology and services on offer as well as being able to discuss a wide range of issues including advanced automation, digital networks, and design methods including 3D CAD/CAM, smart grid technologies, new production processes, 3D printing, and next generation industrial robots – including collaborative robots.

Other areas covered include: Predictive Maintenance 4.0, IT-based automation solutions that will bring fundamental change to all in-factory processes, IT security, as well as smart technologies that manage and coordinate power, gas and heat networks so that capacity can be balanced and optimally deployed across the entire energy system – integrated energy. Plus much more.

The event will cover all sectors of industry from industrial automation and energy to predictive maintenance, supply, power transmission and control and R&D.

The entrance to the Smart Industry Expo will be dominated by a double-stand occupied by Schneider Electric, covering around 150m² – twice the area that the company had at the previous Drives show in 2016. Another exhibitor transferring to the new event is the sensor-maker ifm electronic, which has also increased its stand space, by 20m².

The Smart Industry Expo has also attracted Festo (which has not appeared at the Drives Show for many years), as well as other well-known names such as Universal Robots, Harting, Panduit, Sigmatek, Senseye, Codra, Exor and Applied Automation.

Smart Industry Expo will be one of the UK’s most comprehensive dedicated events focusing on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and transforming to a smart manufacturing era.