Following on from the “huge success” of MACH 2018, which has already had upwards of £200 million worth of business attributed to it, the next edition of the show is looking to build on that success.

James Fudge, head of events at the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA), which organises the exhibition on behalf of industry said: “MACH remains the market leader in the UK for manufacturing technologies exhibitions because we continue to refine our show and create a fertile environment for our exhibitors to do business.

“Having listened to our visitors and exhibitors, and to ensure we have the right balance of technologies for the 2020 show, we have added new zones to the floor plans, so that visitors will continue to see a complete picture of the UK’s manufacturing sector.

"Moreover, demand for space at MACH 2020 is above what it was at the same point in advance of MACH 2018, with a 50% increase in exhibitors re-booking on site to ensure that they have space at the next event.”

The new zones are an Automation Zone and a Training Zone that will show how visitors can up-skill their current work force (the latter will sit alongside the already established Education and Development Zone, which gives visitors an idea of what a career in advanced engineering is like).

Moreover, MACH 2020 (www.machexhibition.com) has confirmed that that the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Engineering, based at its £10 million Telford Innovation Campus, is the first institution to have signed up to attend the Training Zone.

The university has a growing reputation for excellence in aerospace engineering and motor-sport, and it is the only one to have a team competing in the national Formula 3 Championship. Facilities at the Telford campus include a high-value manufacturing suite, composite-materials laboratory, wind tunnel and additive-manufacturing suite.

Syed Hasan, head of the School of Engineering at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “We are really pleased to be attending MACH 2020.

It is the ideal platform for us to showcase the excellent facilities and the range of engineering and manufacturing courses we offer at our Telford Innovation Campus.

"The exhibition will provide additional opportunities for us to engage with future talent in order to help address the skills gap in the manufacturing and engineering sectors.”

MTA CEO James Selka said: “We are delighted that the University of Wolverhampton will be at MACH 2020.

It is our mission to keep pushing boundaries within the manufacturing sector, and the only way to do this is through high-quality education and the application of the skills this provides.

"Wolverhampton has a growing reputation as a top-class institution and shares our values for promoting, developing and harnessing the skills of UK engineers.”

Mr Selka also said he was pleased to see that the recent Budget announcement included the expansion of the Annual Investment Allowance from £200,000 to £1 million.

“This was a specific ‘ask’ from the MTA and will make investing in new equipment at MACH 2020 more cost-effective for the vast majority of visitors.”