UK manufacturing, after five years of downturn, is now being actively encouraged and incentivised to invest for competitiveness in the recovery. Most obviously, following last year’s 10-fold increase to £250,000, the chancellor has produced a further massive capital spending inducement by raising the investment allowance tax break to £500,000 until next year.
As a result of this measure, the overall market upturn, and prospects of better things to come, companies are taking the opportunity to develop and upgrade their technology and machinery suppliers across the board are increasingly busy and active.
All of which, we believe will provide the ingredients for a very interesting and rewarding W14, the UK wood processing industry’s very own national technology show this October.
The W-series of exhibitions and its forebears now have a pedigree stretching back 40 years. It provides the UK with a platform for wood-using manufacturers to experience and compare the latest technology to progress their businesses on an increasingly global stage. And, we believe, the unbroken run of editions during that period underlines the value which the industry places on having such a hands-on networking event, where it can see the latest developments first hand, but also network and discuss the wider technology picture, which could open up new horizons for businesses.
Despite modern communications advances, the feedback we receive is that in this market the increased complexity, capability and investment value of any technology today has actually increased the need for face-to-face contact with suppliers and to see live demonstrations of machinery’s capabilities. Manufacturers have also ensured that highlevel technology is now easily within the reach of smaller manufacturers. And the latter, in turn, are keen to exploit the full possibilities of this increasingly capable,
sophisticated equipment. At the same time, this increases the demand for machinery suppliers to take on something closer to a production consultancy role than an outright sales role. In turn, we feel, this adds value to an exhibition, where potential customers can instantly access the machine suppliers’ knowledge and see the capability of the technology applied directly to their own production issues.
The ability to compare a range of technology in a short space of time can also potentially be a vital benefit to the prospective user. At an exhibition they can get a first-hand idea of what options are available on the market, and of the investment required. Internet, personal visits and in-house events are all valuable ways for their industry to communicate, but there are few other means of obtaining this wider perspective.
The W exhibitions also highlight the value attached by the international technology industry to the UK timber processing sector. And this is further underlined by the fact that it is actually one of the largest NEC trade exhibitions, and features an exceptionally high proportion of running machinery.
The confidence shown by machinery suppliers, often bringing technology from across the world to the UK, speaks volumes to the customer. These are potential technology partners keen to meet their UK market face to face – often alongside direct competitors.
