SouthMACH 17 is a wrap!
And what a show it was! The second time for SouthMACH under new ownership of XPO Exhibitions was a ‘blockbuster’ in 2017.
Held at the Horncastle Arena, Christchurch on the 24th and 25th of May, the Mainland’s largest event for the manufacturing, engineering and technology industries has been deemed a great success by both visitors and exhibitors. Here are just a few comments;
- “2015 was great but 2017 even better full credit to all organisers, Well done”
- “Great show good to see it changing with the times”
- “SouthMach was a great show and we had excellent sales from it, so thank you!”
(3D Printing Systems)
- “We really enjoyed the show and are happy with the results” (Global Shop Solutions)
- “Thank you and your team for delivering another good show” (Baskiville)
Attracting more than 100 international and local exhibiting companies across a range of industries and a strong attendance of industry visitors, SouthMACH 17 has once again proven the South Island “Heartland of Manufacturing” is in good shape.
Exhibitors, although still following up on their leads have acknowledged the high calibre of the visitors with genuine buying interest. The organisers advise that audited visitor numbers of trade attendees will be available in a week or so from the Circulations Audit Board – however it’s the excellent quality of visitor that has resonated with exhibitors.
The show delivered a broad spectrum of new products and innovations – a mix of kiwi made/designed and/or internationally sourced. On display was a showcase of the latest in CNC machinery (and of particular note this was the highest number of CNC machines ever seen at the show), Industrial Automation and 3D printing technology.
A very busy industry led seminar program touched on all the current worldwide industry topics from Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things to Advanced Manufacturing.
Kiwi Designers and Manufacturers came together and showcased their World Class products as perfect examples of industrial collaboration. Caliber Design (Stabicraft), Locus Research (Ubco 2 x bike) and Motovated Design & Analysis (Peter Caugheys Jet Sprint Boat) are companies that are leading this innovation and all shared their successful insights with many hundreds of SouthMACH’s visiting professionals.
The Competenz Apprenticeship workshop and Speed dating session, which attracted a large group of motivated high school students looking at starting a career in Engineering / Manufacturing and supported by renowned Kiwi businesses such as Hamilton Jet & Metalcraft, is a great new initiative that will be continued going forward.
The event has literally shown our youth how exciting and rewarding a career can be in the manufacturing industry – and the event organisers are only promising to grow on this at future events.
The organisers are now ramping up for EMEX, New Zealand’s largest national technology trade show for the manufacturing, engineering and electronics industries – the show is already 80% booked and promising to be their largest show yet. Those claims are big boots to fill when the previous EMEX in 2016 included 160 exhibitors and was attended by over 5,000 visitors, the highest in a decade.
