The Northern Manufacturing & Electronics show made a successful return to EventCity, Manchester on 2-3 October.

The exhibition, which last took place in 2017, welcomed 2,240 industry professionals over the two days (an increase of more than 10% on the previous event), and 200 companies and organisations participated in the show from a wide variety of manufacturing sectors and specialities.

According to the organisers, Northern Manufacturing & Electronics is the leading industrial technology exhibition in the North West — a region that is home to around a quarter of the UK’s aerospace industry and accounts for 12% of its automotive manufacturing output.

The show’s profile in both of these important industries was enhanced by the involvement of their respective regional trade organisations — the North West Aerospace Alliance and the Northern Automotive Alliance.

Also involved in this year’s show were Composites UK, NetComposites, SMMT, CBM, BGA and the GTMA.

Other key event partners were the Manufacturing Growth Fund and Made Smarter, offering practical advice on business development. HMRC was also in attendance, to help businesses prepare for cross-border trade after Brexit.

The visitor demographics for the 2019 show reveal significant increases in attendance from the aerospace industry, defence, electronics, medical technology and industrial machinery sectors.

Materials and composites, rapid prototyping, electronic assembly, sensors and tool-making all saw more traffic, reflecting a wider interest in advanced manufacturing materials and techniques.

Though smaller than its sibling event in Hampshire, the show proved extremely worthwhile for many exhibitors.

Atia Bukhari, marketing manager of Grenville Engineering, said: “The exhibition exceeded our expectations, with better quality leads and genuine interest in our services.

"Southern Manufacturing has been a successful show for us over the last few years, and our debut at Northern Manufacturing has also proved successful.”

The next event in the calendar is Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2020, which opens from 11 to 13 February at Farnborough.

Northern Manufacturing & Electronics returns to EventCity on 7-8 October 2020.

Further information can be found at the Web site (www.industrynorth.co.uk).