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Smart Manufacturing Week 2025 returns to the NEC in June

Posted on 18 Jan 2025. Edited by: Tony Miles. Read 789 times.
Smart Manufacturing Week 2025 returns to the NEC in JuneThe NEC Birmingham is set to once again play host to Smart Manufacturing Week (SMW), the UK’s largest festival of advanced manufacturing and engineering, taking place on 4–5 June. The exhibition brings together a powerful line-up of events, including Smart Factory Expo, Maintec, Drives & Controls, Design + Engineering Expo and the Air-Tec and Fluid Power and Systems zones.

Building on the success of 2024’s event, which attracted 13,500 visitors as well as more than 450 exhibitors and 200 speakers, and was named ‘Best Trade Show’ at the Conference & Events Awards 2024, SMW 2025 is poised to deliver an even larger, more ambitious, and more transformative event, with more international manufacturers and engineers expected to visit this year. Free visitor registration is now open and a limited number of Premium Plus Visitor passes are available to be purchased. Click here to register.

Reflecting on the 2024 event, Malcolm Greenhill of Charter Controls, said: “This is the best exhibition we have ever done, and I have been participating in exhibitions at the NEC since 1983.” Charter Controls returns to SMW in 2025 as a Platinum Partner, underscoring its trust in the event.

Emphasising the ‘must see’ nature of the exhibition is the presence of prominent companies such as Schneider Electric, Fanuk UK, 3M, Epicor, Binder UK, Cembre, Charter Controls, Ericsson, Hoffmann Group and ifm Electronic. Alongside other big names the exhibition floor will showcase the most influential players in the manufacturing industry.

Among these giant technology players are cutting-edge start-ups and the innovative small businesses set to revolutionise the sector. At the heart of Smart Factory Expo, ‘Innovation Alley’ will feature emerging manufacturing technologies with exhibitors across four key categories: ‘People’ — focusing on wellbeing, workforce management, recruitment and training and skills; ‘Product’ — which focuses on design, R&D and materials; ‘Process’ — which includes productivity, resilience, supply chain and AI; and ‘Planet’ — which encompasses ‘net Zero’, sustainability and energy management.

Following the success of 2024, where visitors witnessed ground-breaking solutions from the next wave of technology and consultancy businesses, the 2025 event will provide opportunities to meet start-ups and early-stage companies and their founders, uncovering transformative technologies that promise to shape manufacturing over the next decade.

‘Visitor Trails’ offer an exciting way to explore the show floor, guiding visitors to the most relevant exhibitors and must-see presentations. From Automation & Robotics to Sustainability, Industrial Data and AI, and Product Innovation & Design these thoughtfully curated pathways make it easy to navigate the show and ensure visitors will not miss out on what is important to them. The free educational programme is comprehensive with seven solutions theatres dedicated to addressing a wide array of topics including: Digital Transformation, Industrial Data & AI, IIoT & Connectivity, Design & Innovation, Automation & Robotics, Leadership & Strategy, and Maintenance.

Technology Showcase Theatre

New this year is the Technology Showcase Theatre, where visitors can see and get their hands on a range of cutting-edge innovations. Offering a rare glimpse into future developments and prototypes, the theatre will feature everything from advanced robotics to wearable technologies.

Southern Manufacturing WeekIn addition, SMW 2025 will continue its commitment to inspiring the next generation of engineers and manufacturers through its dedicated STEM programme, sponsored by returning ‘Platinum Partner’ Fanuc UK Ltd. Now extended to focus on school year students, as well as those in further education, hundreds of students and apprentices will have the chance to interact directly with industry experts, offering a hands-on introduction to the interesting world of advanced manufacturing and engineering.

As in previous years 2025 will also play host to several satellite events, such as The Manufacturer Top 100 Awards and the Manufacturing Digitalisation Summit. This two-day conference for senior leaders, which attracts many of the top 250 manufacturers from across the UK, is focussed on the application of digital technologies to enhance the processes, efficiencies, and outcomes of the manufacturing industry.

On the fun side, the much-loved ‘Guitar Legends’ competition will make a return — with a 3-D printed guitar to be awarded to the winner — and adding to the festival atmosphere, The Shadow Monkeys will return with their signature high energy and crowd-pleasing hits to close out the first evening’s visitor party.

For those with entrepreneurial ambitions, this year’s event introduces an exciting new feature: ‘Smart Tank’. Designed to inspire and empower budding innovators, this platform invites entrepreneurs to pitch their business ideas and product concepts to a panel of industry experts. Additionally, visitors can explore the dedicated tech demo area, where innovative solutions will be showcased, offering a detailed look into some of the most exciting developments in technology.

Furthermore, Smart Manufacturing Week continues to prioritise sustainability, returning as a carbon-neutral event in 2025. In collaboration with Forest Nation, the organisers have pledged to plant one tree for every attendee, a practice introduced in 2023 that has helped reduce the event’s environmental impact while supporting global reforestation efforts.

Managing director, Grace Gilling, said: “Smart Manufacturing Week 2025 is laser focused on the visitor experience while ensuring exhibitors have the best opportunity to connect with their target customer base. We create a festival type atmosphere that is entertaining as well as a fantastic opportunity to connect businesses, encourage innovation, and create a platform for industry-shaping conversations.”

Smart Manufacturing Week will be taking place at Birmingham’s NEC on 4 and 5 June. Other exhibitions are also taking place at the NEC at the same time, and these include Automechanika run by Messe Frankfurt; Med-Tech Innovation Expo and TCT 3Sixty from Rapid News Group; and Subcon from the Mark Allen Group. One visitor badge will provide access to all events.