Organisers of PPMA Show, the UK’s free-to-attend production line event for processing and packaging machinery, are expecting this year’s show to be the largest in recent years.

Returning to the NEC, Birmingham, the show is due to run over three days from September 29 to October 1, and will see more than 300 exhibitors display the latest technologies and product launches from across the UK’s manufacturing industries.

Organisers have increased exhibitor floor space by 2000m² in anticipation of increased visitor numbers. Last year’s show attracted over 8,000 manufacturers, distributors and industry insiders from a wide range of sectors including the food, drink, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, dairy, snacks, construction and electronics.

Grant Collier, head of marketing for the PPMA Group, said: “Having seen the event return to the sole ownership and management of the PPMA Group last year, we were absolutely delighted with how successful the show was. Following the positive feedback we received from visitors and exhibitors at last year’s show, we’re looking forward to this year’s event which we’re hoping will be one of the most successful in our history.”

Features at this year’s show include a new robotics and Industrial Vision Area, which is set to include the latest inventive and quirky uses of robotic technology, and the PPMA Show Seminar Theatre, which last year included presentations from the likes of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Groceries Code Adjudicator Christine Tacon, M&S, Tesco and Wykes Farm.

With the PPMA Group committed to finding solutions to deal with the current manufacturing skills gap experienced by the processing and packaging industries, this year’s Seminar Theatre will also include specific presentations as part of the PPMA Best initiative, a new charitable trust aimed at recruiting more young people in the industry. It will also see the return of the Ones to Watch Award which recognises the contributions of processing and packaging professionals under the age of 35. Sponsored by Festo, the awards are chosen by a select group from the PPMA Group Industry awards judging panel, with colleagues being urged to nominate outstanding candidates to the PPMA Show press office.