The Southern Manufacturing and Electronics Exhibition is one of the most comprehensive annual industrial exhibitions in the UK. Now in its 22nd year, the show is hosted in Farnborough by 800 exhibitors to 9,000 visitors.

Here are a few of our favourite technologies aiming to make the manufacturing industry more integrated, which were featured at this year’s show.

1. The GFX Hepco Guidance for Beckhoff XTS

HepcoMption displayed their GFX Hepco Guidance for Beckhoff XTS at the show this year which utilises Hepco’s PRT2 and 1-Trak guidance systems to work with Beckhoff’s XTS circuit linear system to meet the needs of higher duty XTS applications where motion profiles and long-term durability requirements are particularly demanding.

The combination of technologies from Beckhoff and Hepco provides users with a robust, high production and flexible solution which will enhance production processes in many manufacturing applications.

This system is suited to a range of applications such as variable speed lane dividers to sort randomly positioned items into separate lanes, or a double-sided system for a compact application that requires multiple motion profiles.

2. 123-Insight’s MRP package

MRP software has seen great advances in the past few years. One highlight of 123-Insight’s MRP application is that the company offers six days no-obligation training, on the understanding that if the customer decides the system is not suitable for their business, they can walk away with nothing to pay (and with a lot more knowledge than before). Stand visitors were able to take away a multimedia USB stick, loaded with demonstration videos broken down by job role, allowing each department head to understand what the software can do for departments as well as the business as a whole.

3. Trumpf’s smart services

As demonstrated at the 2020 Southern Manufacturing and Electronic Exhibition, customers can now order parts and monitor the condition of a machine via a mobile app. This smart service by Trumpf is helping customers act proactively for a smoother production process.