MACH on track
March 1st 2006

What is the state of Britain's machine tool sector and how is its largest show shaping up? Tim McManan-Smith met up with Stephen Panke, president and Andrew Manly, director general of The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA)

We hear so much about the decline of UK manufacturing and yes to be fair it has been better.

However, it is still a force to be reckoned with and if the MTA has its way then the UK will not solely be a country of media studies graduates and . Manufacturing is 18% of the UK's GDP, 15% of the workforce and is 60% of all UK exports. "We want more people coming into the industry and to make it look fun, there is a lot of creativity involved. People like working with their hands, you just have to look at children," says Stephen Panke. The MTA support UK manufacturing in a number of ways. It provides statistical services for members, businesses support, business development, skills and training, technical advice as well as lobbying Government.

The MACH exhibition is all part of the MTA's promotional of the machine tool sector to the UK manufacturers and also to a wider audience. "It is the most viable sign of what we do," comments Panke, "Our members find it a great platform". When asked if people have time to go and see an exhibition when many are so busy at their workplace, Panke answered, "Do you not have time to go to it? It is a once in every two year opportunity to view new equipment, to do your existing processes smarter.

We have focussed on making it easy for the visitor with breakfast meetings and a range of very interesting seminars. And MachPlus makes it even easier to justify your time out of the office." Mach Plus offers the busy manager a chance to see products and services from a range of complimentary industries that many interested in machine tool technology may also be responsible for at work. MachPlus includes health and safety; materials handling; cleaning; hydraulics and pneumatics/compressed air; and robotics and automation. "Visitor research in 2004 examined what products they have purchasing power for and these areas were highlighted as well as machine tools," says Panke. "In addition to MachPlus there are numerous other exhibitions running at the same time which will provide even more interest to visitors," says Andrew Manly. The other co-located shows are Air-Tech, Electrex, Subcon, Drives and Controls, Product Development and ET.

While visiting a leading aerospace company in the North Manly said that one of the engineers he met commented that he found MACH really useful for new ideas and this is one of the themes the MTA are pushing for this year's event. In a new initiative for 2006, New at MACH will highlight everything that exhibitors are bringing to the show that's new to MACH.

The MTA has introduced New at MACH to help exhibitors promote the fact that they are bringing something new. "As well as highlighting products that have never been seen before at a UK trade show with the New at MACH initiative we have MACHconsult which include a range of technical seminars and are not just salespitches," says Manly.

There seems to be a lot to see that week in the NEC and the number of exhibiting companies stands at nearly 500, a 10% rise from 2004, which means visitors to MACH will have the opportunity to see a wider range of products and services.

The MTA has been around since 1919 and was known as the Machine Tool Trades Association, and then the Machine Tool Technologies Association and now the Manufacturing Technologies Association. Andrew Manly explains that "This reflects the change in our members requirements. In the old days people wanted tools, now they want solutions, for example, financial services and metrology, this broadening of our scope is not reflected by the MTTA."

"We must keep Europe at the cutting edge of technology. Low-technology manufacturing is too competitive, we must make leading edge products," states Manly. "It is not just price, if cheap labour was it then I'd be buying from a Central African Republic. The reason China, for example, is so successful is that it is good.

It has a very trained and educated workforce. But while volumes do go east, it is not relevant for topend industries," contends Panke, "We must find good ways to produce good technology in the UK, look for new and innovative ways of doing things. We are not investing at the rate we should be. Other leading countries still invest three to four times the UK levels and this gives us cause for concern. This means that the level of R&D and innovation is not as high as it should be.

However, it is not all bad, and in my position as president of the MTA it is good to see so many good companies still around". So, the future of machine tool industries and the their customers; UK manufacturing, look good if they continue to innovate and focus on specialist hightech solutions. Mach provides you with an opportunity to see what is out there and how it can help your business. "AT MACH you are going to see a fantastic showcase of new and innovative productive equipment that will help you meet the challenges of modern manufacturing," summarises Panke.

More articles from MTA - MACH SHOW: