42 n SM&EW PREVIEW May 2024 www.drivesncontrols.com A new horizon in smart manufacturing and engineering From 5-6 June 2024, the NEC Birmingham will transform into an epicentre of industrial innovation and connectivity, hosting the Smart Manufacturing & Engineering Week (SM&E Week). Across its two halls, six exhibitions, two summits and eight education theatres, the event addresses the key issues that concern manufacturing and engineering businesses currently, irrespective of the market sector they serve. The main themes of the wideranging event are innovation, the supply chain, sustainability, digital transformation and people and skills. Central to the week's proceedings, the Drives & Controls exhibition oers an unprecedented glance at the latest in engineering innovation. Co-located in Hall 5, alongside Air-Tech and Fluid Power & Systems, and with Smart Factory Expo, Maintec and Design & Engineering Expo in Hall 4, this year's event encapsulates the multifaceted nature of modern manufacturing. The week is set to unfold under the banner of cutting-edge technology, with primary partners such as 3M, Abdex Hose and Couplings, Amazon RME, Binder, Charter Controls, Emerson, Festo, igus, ILME, Lutze, Pilz Automation, Teseo SRL, Tom Parker, Wurth Electronics, ETA Enclosures, Eriks, Jenny Science AG and SMC Corporation leading the charge. To those familiar with Smart Manufacturing & Engineering Week, it will come as no surprise that education and peer-to-peer learning plays an important role. There are two summits that run alongside the exhibition – namely, the Industrial Data and AI Summit and the Manufacturing Digitalisation Summit. Now in its seventh year, the Industrial Data & AI Summit takes place on 5 June and focuses on Data Management and Data Insights. The structure of the summit includes four keynote presentations, a panel discussion, and two 60-minute roundtable discussion sessions. The summit allows senior leaders to hear from the sector’s most respected experts – such as the head of digital and data at BAE Systems, and the senior director of data and analytics at Mars – as well as to share their knowledge and experiences with their peers. The roundtable sessions oer a unique opportunity for indepth discussions on topics ranging from Data Integration and Management to Developing a Data Driven Business to Generative AI. Taking place on both the 5 and 6 June is The Manufacturing Digitalisation Summit. This will include eight keynote presentations, two panel discussions and four 60-minute roundtable discussion sessions. The Summit focuses on how digitalisation is changing how products are designed, produced, used and maintained, as well as transforming the operations, processes and energy footprints of factories and supply chains. This summit breaks down into two distinct streams: the Enterprise stream is for those working in businesses with revenues of more than £100m; while the Growth stream is for those with revenues of less than £100m (theoretically classed as SMEs). Education Theatres While the summits charge an entry fee, there is also a huge amount of free-to-access education during the event, with close to June will see the industrial world converge at the NEC Birmingham, as Smart Manufacturing & Engineering Week 2024, including the Drives & Controls exhibition, will explore the latest developments in drives and technology, IIoT, maintenance, AI, compressed air, uid power and digital transformation.
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