FOR FREE MAGAZINE

Start 2025 with an extravaganza of innovation

Easyfairs introduces readers to Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2025, including new smart badges which let visitors harvest information as they navigate the stands.

Southern Manufacturing & Electronics returns to Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre from 4 to 6 February, attracting exhibitors and visitors from Britain, Ireland, continental Europe and beyond. The event is split between companies in the electrical/electronic industry and those in mechanical engineering.

The show appeals to people involved in procurement, design, manufacturing, training and management who want to research solutions and source products and services efficiently. Industries represented throughout the hall are multifaceted, allowing cross-over between the various disciplines. Visitors appreciate this format as it encourages a wide-ranging itinerary, often leading to discovery of companies specialising in different areas that would otherwise not be encountered. Technology trails grouping exhibitors with similar expertise help to guide people around.

On show will be surface mount technology, IC and PCB manufacture, box-build through to full EMS provision, electronic/optoelectronic components, specialised test/inspection equipment, plus cables, connectors, power supplies, transformers, batteries and chargers. The way electrical and electronic sectors intertwine with mechanical engineering will be evident throughout the hall, with mechatronics and electro-mechanical components and systems on display alongside drives and encoders, sensors and actuators, controls, displays, HMIs, data acquisition systems, robotics and business/engineering software.

There will be an emphasis on reshoring production, plus new ecological technologies such as green energy generation and power-saving machinery. The show will also reflect the ongoing growth in end-to-end digitalisation of the factory environment, plus an increase in Industry 4.0-compatible manufacturing systems.

Organiser Easyfairs, says the expo will be a sell-out and expects over 9,000 visitors through the doors. The organising team operates a policy of open access that discourages large companies from dominating, ensures a vibrant mix of multinational firms, SMEs and small vendors and fosters networking, collaboration, learning and discovery.

Visitors will receive a new smart badge which, when touched on the EasyGo reader on each stand, ensures relevant information will be emailed the following morning. This saves carrying heavy brochures around all day. Likewise, exhibitors will have a record of those showing interest in them. Another introduction is a dedicated app, Visit Connect, for lead generation.

Attendees can take advantage of an extensive programme of free technical seminars covering a range of topics, with a particular focus on the technical, managerial and environmental issues facing manufacturers today. All sessions will be CPD-approved to ensure they meet specific quality standards. The Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits (IPC) hand soldering competition returns in 2025, as does AutoAero, a specialist thread that runs through the main programme concentrating on matters important to the automotive and aerospace sectors.

The Farnborough site offers free car parking and is well connected by road and public transport links. A regular, complimentary bus service runs between the two local railway stations and the showground. Admission is free.

www.southern-manufacturing-electronics.com