Southern Electronics 2013: The highlights of the exhibition and conference that puts the UK on the map as a centre of excellence for the electronics design industry
If you know your connector from your contact manufacturer and are involved in any part of the UK or global electronics industry then its time to start planning for the show that kicks off the electronics sectors’ calendar of events. Combining an eclectic mix of services, components, technology and equipment, Southern Manufacturing & Electronics returns to Five in Farnborough on the 13th and 14th of February 2013.
Said to be bigger and better than ever, the exhibition and conference is considered one of the UK’s longest running electronics shows and is billed as being set for another record-breaking year in 2013. The exhibition organisers advise exhibitor numbers are up for the ninth consecutive year and yet more exhibition space has been added.
Exhibitor registrations for 2013 are up 30 percent compared with the same period last year, with the total number of confirmed exhibitors already exceeding the final total for 2012. To accommodate them, the organisers, European Trade & Exhibition Services (ETES) have added a further 35 percent to the exhibition area – bringing it to 5,350 square meters – making it the largest event ever staged by ETES. The growth of the event continues to attract exhibitors from far afield in growing numbers, bringing an increasingly international dimension to the show. Visitors in 2013 can expect to see companies from the USA, Austria, Germany, Latvia, Italy and the Netherlands amongst others, alongside an incredible diversity of suppliers from all over the UK.
Floor space in the Electronics area of the show will benefit from an enlarged Electronics Pavilion, which will host a huge number of suppliers and contractors covering virtually every aspect of electronics design and production.
From big multi-nationals to SMEs
Big names such as RS Components will be joined by literally hundreds of niche suppliers offering thousands of sub-assemblies and component parts, from plastic to wound components, sensors, spacers, doors, buttons, handles, enclosures to name just a few.
Companies such as Nexus will be exhibiting its range of non volatile keys, tokens and receptacles and will be using a custom designed robot application to illustrate the potential of its products to engineers.
Vision Engineering’s will be demonstrating its new HD digital inspection system and its new handheld digital inspection magnifier, as well as demonstrating new updates to its range of measurement systems.
REO will showcase its wound component technology. The products on show will include toroidal current transformers, a water-cooled choke filter combination and variable switch mode power supplies, as well as power supplies for use in cathodic protection.
Once again Southern Electronics is co-location with Southern Manufacturing and its sibling precision engineering show, Auto Aero. The concentration of such a wide range of manufacturing activities under one roof makes it possible to see a much broader range of companies in a single visit.
Like the Electronics area, Southern Manufacturing is continuing to grow strongly year on year and has now reached a level of maturity where it is drawing in the bigger industry names.
Visitors are able to see many of the larger machine tools in operation in the Machinery Area, surrounded by literally hundreds of other tooling and production equipment suppliers ranging from metrology to labelling & marking, materials handling systems, fasteners & fixings, adhesives, packaging materials and thousands of others.
The other aspect of the show that makes it so appealing is the broad range of sub-contract services on offer. Almost every conceivable engineering or manufacturing activity is well represented, from PCB assembly to castings, machining and fabrication.
The specialist automotive and aerospace area, Auto Aero, provides a focal point for firms offering world-class precision engineering services. Other areas of advanced manufacturing are also on show, including composites, engineering plastics and additive manufacturing. Not surprisingly, given the location, aerospace and defence are two prominent areas of activity for many of the suppliers represented.
Suppliers specialising in sub-assemblies for the medical electronics sector are also present in increasing numbers, making Southern Manufacturing & Electronics an important annual event for this fast-growing sector.
Free technical seminar sessions will be running in two lecture theatres over both days of the show, visitors can see presentations covering a broad range of business and technical topics. The sessions are delivered by an impressive line-up of expert speakers in their respective fields.
Entry to Southern Manufacturing & Electronics and Auto Aero is completely free. To register, visit: www.industrysouth.co.uk. Registered visitors can also reserve a place at any of the 24 free seminars using this site.
FIVE, Farnborough is easily accessible by road and public transport. On site car parking is free, and a free shuttle bus service operates daily between the show and both North Camp and Farnborough Main railway stations.
Visitors can keep up with all the latest news on the show blog site: http://blog.industrysouth.co.uk or by joining the Southern Manufacturing & Electronics group on LinkedIn.
Southern Electronics
