In light of manufacturing’s shift towards a new era of digitalisation, technologies and solutions for Industry 4.0 — such as 3-D printing, automation, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and robotics — are increasingly being sought; and companies that highlighted these technologies were well-received at MTA2017, Asia’s premier manufacturing-technology industry event.

Held earlier this month at the Singapore Expo, the event attracted 300 exhibitors and more than 10,000 visitors from 43 countries/regions — including 13 group delegations from Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore.

They included executives from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the Penang Foundry & Engineering Industries Association, the Philippine Die & Mould Association, Pratt & Whitney, Small & Medium Enterprises Association Malaysia, ST Logistics and Singapore Aerospace Manufacturing.

Raimund Klein from Siemens, which offers consultancy services and technical expertise to multi-nationals and SMEs looking to transform traditional factories into digitalised ones, said: “Manufacturing Technology Asia 2017 was a good platform for us to connect with new and existing customers.

“Our booth enabled us to showcase our new Digital Enterprise Suite, giving visitors a picture of the whole product portfolio, including the Siemens ZerOne.DesIgn manufacturing design consultancy and MindSphere, our cloud-based open internet-of-things operating systems.”

MTA2017 underlined how Industry 4.0 technologies can be implemented, and at the Smart Manufacturing Pavilion and Smart Manufacturing Asia conference, exhibitors and speakers gave insights and conducted live demonstrations designed to allow visitors to understand how digitalisation will enhance their processes, operations and services.

Conference speaker Mirel Sehic (cyber security manager at Honeywell Process Solutions) said: “The advancement into Smart Manufacturing poses a great risk for many organisations, as they may not have the experience required to develop secure policies, defend their assets, identify and respond to cyber threats.

Smart Manufacturing Asia provided a meaningful platform to discuss and educate audiences about the need for cyber security as a key enabler for IIoT and Smart Manufacturing. With the continued increase in cyber threats around the world, Honeywell is committed to helping customers address cyber security vulnerabilities, with expertise and innovation specifically designed for industrial processes and critical-infrastructure protection.”

3-D printing was a big focus at MTA2017. From show exhibits to technology tours and interactive seminars, visitors saw a wide array of industrial applications and innovative concepts across industries from aerospace to medical technology, displayed by exhibitors BeAM, Chemtron, Creatz3D, EOS, Eye-2-Eye Communications, Nanyang Polytechnic, Renishaw, SLM Solutions, Trumpf and UCT Additive Manufacturing Center.

Prakash Murawala, business and technology manager for Samaco (SE Asia and India), said: “I am glad I joined the 3-D printing technology tour. The technology is new to me, and I gained useful information from industry leaders such as Creatz3D and UCT Additive Manufacturing Center. I look forward to exploring further collaboration opportunities with these companies.”

Also attracting attention at MTA2017 were robot demonstrations by ABB, Nachi and Epson; the latter launched its N2 robot, which features the world’s first (and patented) compact folding arm. The N2 robot, which is designed for use in confined workspaces and with smaller payloads, is extremely manoeuvrable.

Machinery Market, which had a stand at the exhibition, distributed copies of its special — and locally printed — MTA2017 show magazine.

It also gave out information on Machinery-Locator.com (www.machinery-locator.com) — the world-wide on-line source for finding new and used machine tools and related production equipment.

For informaton on how you can advertise in our next international show issue for Metaltech 2017 taking place in Malaysia (24-27 May) please contact us on +44 (0)20 8315 7916 for details or email .