Former world land speed record holder Richard Noble OBE opened the MACH 2014 exhibition on Monday 7 April saying: “This is one hell of a show.” Mr Noble, who is director of the British-based Bloodhound Super-sonic Car project, paid tribute to the importance of the advanced engineering sector in helping to re-balance the UK economy and to the MACH exhibition as a showcase for innovation in manufacturing technologies. “This is a great event for sharing the excitement, thrill and challenge of manufacturing. Moreover, 14 of Bloodhound’s sponsors are represented at MACH.”

Friday 12 April, the last day of the exhibition, saw Business Secretary Vince Cable MP (pictured with Mark Ridgeway) visit the event — Britain’s biggest manufacturing trade show — to get to grips with all the latest technology available to manufacturers and see where they come together to do business: orders worth some £146 million were attributed to the 2012 show; and with attendance running 15% up on that year, hopes are high that the figure will be passed.

Mark Ridgway, president of the MTA and managing director of Group Rhodes, said: “It was great to welcome Mr Cable to MACH 2014, especially in the light of the recent uprating of the Annual Investment Allowance — something for which the MTA has been pressing. Engineering-based manufacturing is on the up in the UK, and that has really been evident at MACH this year.”

Mr Cable said: “MACH provided a good opportunity to see for myself the latest advances in manufacturing technology and meet the people behind them. If the manufacturing renaissance is to endure, the Government needs to give business the confidence to invest, which is what we are doing through our Industrial Strategy.”