NEWS 12 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS July/August 2023 www.hpmag.co.uk Smarter Innovation Alley, the Innovation Village and beyond. Haf Cennydd, Portfolio Director for Manufacturing & Engineering Week said: “To have built the biggest UK event for the industrial sector in just two years has surpassed our expectations and clearly demonstrates that bringing together Smart Factory Expo, Design & Engineering Expo and Maintec was a great idea. With industrial events also taking place at the same time and venue run by other event organisers plus the addition of Drives & Controls, Air-Tech and Fluid Power & Systems, there will only be more to see and do in 2024.” Manufacturing & Engineering Week has the support of most of the highprofile organisations, institutions and trade bodies representing the UK’s industrial and manufacturing sector, none more so than Make UK. Stephen Phipson CBE, CEO of MAKE UK and chair of Manufacturing & Engineering Week said of this year’s event: “Manufacturing and Engineering Week has gone from strength to strength from last year to this year and we expect it to grow even further next year. Key challenges were high on the agenda for the second year with skills, supply chain and sustainability discussed in detail. It was great to see the show also offset their carbon emissions once again by planting thousands more trees in the M&E Week Forest.” Maintec in particular has benefited from its inclusion in M&E Week with Chris Hansford of Hansford Sensors commenting: “I have been coming to Maintec for 36 years and this is the busiest one I can remember. The event has had a shot in the arm which is great for our business and the maintenance sector as a whole.” Engineers Without Borders UK, the official charity partner for Manufacturing & Engineering Week, used its presence as an opportunity to launch a global responsibility competency compass to address the sustainability skills gap in engineering. John Kraus, CEO said: “The event has given the whole team a boost. It’s given us a platform for our launch and an opportunity to network directly with people working in industry and their representative bodies. Our ambitions and those of Nineteen Group align in that we wish to ensure that responsible engineering principles are being embedded at every level and that decisions made balance the needs of all people with the limits of our planet.” Peter Jones, CEO of Nineteen Group commented on the success of the event: “We gave our team the licence to disrupt the accepted norms of what an industrial sector trade show looked like, felt like and achieved and they have overperformed by every measure. From the Nexa3D guitar players’ competition to the festival-like stilt walkers and branding to the sheer sense of excitement generated on the exhibition floor it’s been superb, and it will only get better next year as we add Drives & Controls, Air-Tech and Fluid Power & Systems into the mix.” Dates for the live events for M&E Week in 2024 have been confirmed as 5-6 June for Smart Factory Expo, Design & Engineering Expo and Maintec (2 days, Hall 4) and 4-6 June for Drives & Controls, Air-Tech and Fluid Power & Systems (3 Days, Hall 5). For more information visit: www.mandeweek.co.uk PCL celebrates 85th Anniversary raising over £3k with charity bike ride for the NSPCC To celebrate 85 years of developing trailblazing products for global markets, directors and staff from Sheffield-based pneumatics expert PCL got on their bikes to raise over £3000 and counting for the NSPCC. The challenge was to cycle a 500km relay in just 90 minutes and the team clocked up an impressive 609km within the timeframe – more than tripling their initial fundraising target of £1000 in the process. So far, the JustGiving page has raised £3424, with donations still coming in for the team’s celebratory ride for the UK’s leading children’s charity. Team members put their success down to PCL’s newly launched Digital Bicycle Inflation Station, which helps increase efficiency and reduce tyre wear for users – and more importantly, keeps them safely on the road. The riders cycled smoothly through the lakeside laps at Rother Valley Country Park with tyres pumped up on the fantastic new bike inflation station. Developed in association with Sheffield Hallam University, this new product is designed to make cycling safer and more enjoyable for all riders, from the novice to the experienced or professional cyclist. The company highlights how it has come a long way since it was founded in 1938, when the very first pressure gauges were designed and manufactured in Sheffield. Since then, PCL has experienced significant growth, joining the HORNGROUP of companies, along with the TECALEMIT brand in 2011. Today PCL is recognised as the global leader in the design and manufacture of the most advanced and comprehensive portfolio of tyre inflation and compressed air products on the market. Famed as a trusted “Made in Sheffield” brand, PCL remains committed to its Yorkshire roots and to UK manufacturing. Therefore, the company says that a charity event incorporating the UK’s first ever air tower for bike tyres was a fitting tribute to PCL’s 85 years of success in leading the way with innovative products for new markets. PCL Managing Director, Lee Wright, commented: “We are over the moon to have smashed our target, with funds still coming in. I would like to say a huge thank you to our partners for their support at this unique event and for the many generous donations to the NSPCC. Also, thank you and congratulations to our intrepid cyclists who tackled the relay with such energy and enthusiasm. “Every pound raised will go toward the charity’s fight to protect children and prevent abuse, reaching millions of those in need. We feel both proud and privileged to have been able to contribute to this cause, whilst celebrating PCL’s ability to develop innovative new products like the Digital Bicycle Inflation Station. “As a leading provider of tyre inflation equipment, we are passionate about providing solutions that help keep people safe on the road and raising awareness around the benefits of accurate tyre inflation. Not only is the Bicycle Inflation Station a terrific convenience and maintenance aid for cyclists; it’s a great addition for infrastructure providers as a method of encouraging cycling and environmentally conscious transportation.
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