Manufacturing & Supply Chain

The start of the highly anticipated 2024 PPMA Show is nearly here. The show will take place once again at the NEC Birmingham from 24 to 26 September. The UK’s most prominent exhibition for processing equipment, packaging machinery, industrial automation and machine vision event is expected to attract thousands of visitors who are looking to streamline their automation processes.

Automate UK, the organisers of the PPMA Show, recently revealed for this year’s event a significant number of brand-new show innovations to enhance everyone’s show experience. Some of the features include a free PPMA Show app, a dedicated live demonstration theatre and ‘Innovation Tours’.

Scott McKenna, Chief Operating Officer at Automate UK, said: “The 2024 PPMA Show promises to be our most exciting exhibition yet. The team at Automate UK has been truly inspired this year; the sheer volume and quality of the show innovations that have been introduced are very impressive. These new features will greatly improve the show experience for everyone involved.”

As a special addition to this year’s show, Automate UK was recently pleased to announce that the well-known broadcaster, entrepreneur and writer, Gregg Wallace, will be spending a day at the PPMA Show as he goes ‘Inside the Exhibition’ interviewing some of the exhibitors. These recordings will be available after the show. 

Established over 35 years ago, the PPMA Show is the event where innovative technologies inspire visitors to adopt new solutions to improve the performance of their businesses. The show also highlights the important role processing equipment, packaging machinery, industrial automation and machine vision solutions can play in the future growth of companies across many sectors in the UK.

The 2024 PPMA Show provides a brilliant platform for visitors to see the next generation of products, services and technologies. There is something for everyone, from the cutting-edge solutions provided by over 350 worldclass exhibitors – including over 100 companies who are new to the show – through to hours of free expert talks and plenty of networking opportunities. The three-day show is the ultimate must-attend event for visitors, where they can immerse themselves into the captivating and thought-provoking features that the show has on offer. 

Discover your next processing and packaging solution  

This year’s exhibitors include well-known companies such as Packaging Automation, PFM, Holmach, Keymac, Omori, Wipotec, Somic, Markem-Imaje, Ilapak, Bizerba, Ulma, Beckhoff, Schur Star Systems, Ilpra, Sidel, and JBT Proseal. The show will provide these and many other companies with the opportunity to host live demonstrations of working machinery and product launches at their stands. The comprehensive list of exhibitors is available here: https://www.ppmashow.co.uk/exhibitors-2024#/exhibitors/.

SOMIC (C32) will be celebrating its 50th anniversary at this year’s PPMA Show. The company specialises in fully automated cartoning machines which include features such as user-friendliness, customisable and availability around the world. These solutions can offer increased efficiency, flexibility and reliability. SOMIC’s team will be sharing the latest trends and technologies in carton packaging whilst celebrating its anniversary in style at their stand.

Brand-new live demonstration theatre and ‘Innovation Tours’

The PPMA Show will feature a new live demonstration theatre where exhibitors will present their latest technologies and solutions for the first time in the UK. The exhibitors taking the stage include Ishida, Solent Automation, Fristam Pumps, Mosca Direct, Engelmann & Buckham, CEIA, Minebea Intec, Epson, Scayl, Silverson Machines, and OAL (Olympus Automation). 

The new daily ‘Innovation Tour’ will visit these exhibitors during the show, offering fantastic opportunities to further deepen visitors understanding about the potential benefits these technologies can deliver.  

Some of the product launches include:

Epson (A52) is set to unveil its extensive range of on-demand colour inkjet label printers at the demonstration theatre and at its exhibition stand. The company’s latest innovation includes its flagship ColorWorks C8000e industrial label printer, which is a perfect choice for in-house, on-demand colour label printing. This model delivers exceptional quality labels at high speed whilst reducing costs and waste when compared with traditional analogue label production processes. Another special feature for visitors to experience at Epson’s stand is a demonstration of its advanced automated labelling application which includes a SCARA GX8 robot, a smart camera, and two C6000e ColorWorks printers. 

Solent Automation (E90) will be demonstrating its range of palletising machines SolPal 2.0 and the SolPal Mini. The SolPal 2.0 is a two-pallet palletising system and the SolPal Mini is a palletising machine with one pallet location. They both have one of the smallest footprints on the market whilst benefitting from high pick and place rates as well as being easily integrated into existing production lines. All of which, make them very attractive to both small and large companies. Solent Automation’s range of exhibits also includes its new de palletising machine, SolCar, which is an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) able to carry pallets. 

PPMA Show TV returns for its 10th year, broadcasting live from the stands of exhibitors as they showcase their working machinery. The broadcast will be featured at the live demonstration theatre, where company experts will provide commentary on the on-screen activities and answer any questions that visitors may have. 

Inspiring expert talks

Not only will visitors have the opportunity to explore and discover the latest products first-hand, they will also have access to a wide range of expert talks at the seminar theatres. These presentations have been designed to be thought-provoking and stimulate visitors to consider how they can put their learnings into practice, as well as stay up to date with the latest industry trends.

This year’s keynote speakers are:

• Stefan Casey, Nestlé: The digital transformation of FMCG industry: How digital technology is bringing both challenges and opportunities in packaging across the whole value chain
• Jessica Sansom, Huel: The manifestations of climate change – rising to the challenge and adapting to a new normal

These and other presentations provide visitors with hours of free information for consideration. For more information: https://www.ppmashow.co.uk/sessions-2024 

PPMA Show 2024 App

Automate UK has just launched its new free PPMA Show app to ensure visitors get the most out of the PPMA Show. The app boasts an interactive, innovative and user-friendly design, which is packed with features that deliver a seamless show experience for everyone involved.

The app includes a full list of exhibitors and their products, a content capture function for retrieving additional information about exhibiting companies via QR codes, and a detailed programme of seminars, from session topics through to start times and speaker information. The organisers recommend that both visitors and exhibitors download the app prior to the event: https://www.ppmashow.co.uk/show-app 

The PPMA Show is ‘the place to be’ when it comes to processing, packaging, industrial automation and machine vision systems. It provides visitors with a unique opportunity to explore every aspect of the production line from end-to-end . 

For more information, please visit: https://www.ppmashow.co.uk/