Digital Manufacturing Show to raise the bar for UK manufacturing

Posted on 7 Nov 2017 by The Manufacturer

For anyone involved in UK manufacturing, next week is set to be huge as Smart Factory Expo – the Digital Manufacturing Show, takes centre stage at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool on 15-16 November.

Smart Factory Expo 2017 - Digital Manufacturing

Smart Factory Expo is an amazing chance for anyone involved in the industry, both in the UK and abroad, to see the latest innovations, meet the movers and shakers, see advanced technology and connect with likeminded individuals.

Smart Factory Expo is undoubtedly the UK’s biggest setting for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and will play host to more than 4,000 decision-makers and senior executives, with every single sector of the industry represented.

Partnered with the government, major industry bodies, universities and over 100 exhibitors, the event will showcase the UK manufacturing industry’s world-class professionals and solution providers and gives exhibitors and attendees a platform to see the latest technological advances and discuss the ground-breaking innovations that are the driving force behind 4IR.

So far, more than 100 of the top innovative industry leaders have signed up to exhibit, including: Aptean, Cisco, Dell EMC, IBM, Proto Labs, Rockwell Automation, XMPRO and many more.

Smart Factory Expo will be separated into different experiences for attendees, including: Solutions Theatres; Innovation Alley; Hack and Pitch and will also feature off-site Factory Tours.

Solutions Theatres Spotlight

Digital Manufacturing - Smart Factory Expo offers attendees a platform to see the latest technological advances and discuss the ground-breaking innovations that are the driving force behind 4IR.
Smart Factory Expo offers attendees a platform to see the latest technological advances and discuss the ground-breaking innovations that are the driving force behind 4IR.

The Solution Theatres will provide conference-style learning where attendees will see over 90 free presentations from companies including: Rolls Royce, BAE Systems, BMW Group, Jaguar Land Rover and Tata Steel.

The Solution Theatres will be broken into four different technology zones:

  • Digital Transformation
  • Smart Factory
  • Industrial Internet
  • Industrial Automaton

Dr Mohamed Zaki, deputy director, Cambridge Service Alliance will be speaking at the Digital Transformation Theatre about creating a service within a digital era. Dr Zaki has written many industry white papers and is a firm conference favourite. He will be heading up a practical workshop on how to create digital solutions and technologies to enrich the customer experience.

Looking at the challenges of security in a digital age is Simon Bradley, head of cyber security at Airbus. He will be giving a presentation on the opportunities of digitalisation in large manufacturing companies.

The Leaders Conference

Running alongside Smart Factory Expo is the Leaders Conference, as with Smart Factory Expo, there are plenty of reasons to attend:

  • Following the success of 2016, this is now the event to attend, established as the most comprehensive source of information within the sector
  • An ideal platform for attendees and teams to collaborate and focus their learning experience from experts in the precise area of their industry
  • Features more than 120 of the manufacturing industry’s highest level leaders and gives attendees the chance to learn and network with top tier contributors and listen to manufacturing specialists.

Here are just a few of the top speakers presenting at Leaders Conference:

Simon Bradley, VP Global Head of Innovation & Cyber Security – Airbus

An internationally recognised technology leader and driver of innovation and transformation within global organisations, Bradley brings a powerful blend of skills and proven capabilities to enable companies to drive forward with vision and deliver on the requirements of key stakeholders.  As Vice President, Head of Innovation Works Systems & Products and latterly as Head of Global Innovation Network within The Airbus Group, he has helped build a strong cohesive brand for Research & Technology strategy and development. The Airbus Group was named in the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Innovative Companies list and ranked #30 in the world for Research & Development in 2013 with a spend of €3.1bn.

His portfolio within The Airbus Group for research covers a wide range of subjects and is global in its scope. From System & Software Engineering, Virtual Reality & Simulation, Applied Mathematics, Information Technology & HPC, Big Data & Visual Analytics, Maintenance & Services through to Cyber & Homeland Security. In 2015, Bradley took on his newest role as Vice President, Product & Cyber Security Program Directorate – helping to protect Airbus Group products, facilities, ICT equipment and people.

Nicholas Leeder, Director PLM and Standards – SKF Group

With the growth of digital opportunities and the new industrial revolution of Industry 4.0, many companies are struggling to understand what this means for them. Leeder thrives at this new intersection of business and digital technology, exploiting his practical and professional experiences to drive business results.  He is also an internationally recognised speaker around the challenges of these digital transformations.

He is a business and technology leader with a ‘Big 4’ pedigree and more than 20 years of global management experience, work for and with some of the most innovative businesses in the world.

He operates at C-Level, accountable for complex operational transformations with enabling technology digital strategies, shaping & leading the delivery of these changes. He brings wide-ranging business & technology experience, as well as transferable industry insights, particularly from industrial, consumer products & high technology sectors. He is the Director of Product Lifecycle Management for SKF Group, having driven the transformations ranging from “Digital Twin”, Industry 4.0 and “Smart” Data.

Gunther Boehner, Director of Assembly – BMW Group

Gunther Boehner’s first role with the group was based in BMW Plant Munich as a Process Planner for the Assembly. Since joining the BMW Group, he has gained experience in many roles including Group Leader Assembly line, involvement in the Quality Project “Zero Rework”, Supplier Quality Management, Leader Project VPS (Value Added Production Systems) BMW Assembly, General Manager for Assembly and General Manager for logistics both based in BMW Plant Regensburg.

In 2014, he moved to Oxford to take up the post of General Manager for Assembly where the MINI is produced, and in January 2016 became the Director of Assembly leading about 2,500 associates to build approximately 1,000 cars a day.

Gunther’s areas of speciality are extensive knowledge of Value Added Production Systems, and the Kaizen (Lean) Principles. Before joining the BMW Group, he was an Officer in the German Army for 10 years.

With so much to see and experience at this year’s Leaders Conference, tickets are selling out fast, so head to the Leaders Conference website to book your place.