PPMA Show 2024 celebrated as a major success

The PPMA Show, the UK’s leading event for processing and packaging machinery, including industrial automation and machine vision systems, has once again been acclaimed as a great success. Established more than 35 years ago, the renowned exhibition welcomed thousands of visitors over the course of its three-days at the NEC Birmingham. The event offered visitors the opportunity to experience a complete production line from start-to-finish.

The exhibition hall was busy from the moment the doors opened until the show finished, providing a perfect platform for visitors to observe the latest cutting-edge technologies and solutions, exciting live demonstrations and product launches, as well as top up their knowledge with hours of free expert seminars.

This year’s show was made extra special by the well-known broadcaster, entrepreneur and writer, Gregg Wallace - who spent a day at the show as he went ‘Inside the Exhibition’ - interviewing exhibitors to gain their insight. These recordings will be available soon online.

The PPMA Show, which is owned and organised by Automate UK, gave visitors the chance to see how the of state-of-the-art solutions on display could improve the efficiency of their own businesses, giving them key competitive advantages over their competitors.

An impressive line-up of exhibitors

The show boasted an impressive line-up of more than 350 exhibitors – including over 100 new exhibitors. These companies showcased their cutting-edge solutions spanning the full spectrum of the manufacturing industry, including: pharmaceuticals, food, beverages, building materials, pet care, microbrewers and distillers.

Informing their decision-making before investing, visitors held face-to-face conversations with exhibiting experts, gaining guidance on the suitability and benefits the various innovative solutions can bring to their businesses.

Exhibitors included many well-known companies in the sector, such as: Packaging Automation, PFM, Holmach, Keymac, Omori, Wipotec, Somic, Markem-Imaje, Ilapak, Bizerba, Ulma, Beckhoff, Schur Star Systems, Ilpra, Sidel, and JBT Proseal.

Scott McKenna, Chief Operating Officer at Automate UK said: “The PPMA Show has consistently been the premier destination in the UK for exploring technology across the entire processing and packaging industry. Our main challenge as organisers is to ensure the exhibition evolves and stays relevant to the high-calibre visitors we are proud to attract each year.

“This year, we can confidently say, we exceeded our own expectations, with an outstanding turnout of attendees eager to invest in the remarkable range of innovative technologies showcased at the event.”

Expert presentations

One of the many attractions of the show were the expert presentations at the seminar theatres. These talks delivered updates on both the latest industry insights and trends. They were crafted to be thought-provoking in a way that would encourage visitors to reflect on how they could apply their seminar learnings in their own businesses.

This year’s inspiring keynote speakers were Jessica Sansom from Huel and Stefan Casey from Nestlé. Jessica’s presentation focused on the manifestations of climate changes and how to rise to the challenge and adapt to a new normal. Stefan shared some of his knowledge on the digital transformation of FMCG industry, including challenges and opportunities in packaging across the whole value chain.

One visitor to the show, Callum Reader, of Marco Ltd, said: “It was great to be back at the PPMA Show for the first time in about four years. There was such a wide range of innovative and inspiring machinery to see. I would recommend this event to anybody in the food industry; it has so many different and fantastic solutions to learn about as well as providing a great opportunity to catch up with all the latest developments in the industry.”

Another visitor, Tom White from DaceCrown, said: “This year's event was busier than in the past, offering a wealth of innovative solutions to explore. It was also great to see the net zero and eco-friendly initiatives present in a substantial number of showcased products.”

PPMA Show app

New for this year, Automate UK debuted a free PPMA Show app, packed with features such as a function to retrieve exhibitor information via QR codes, detailed seminar information, and a floorplan to navigate around the show. All of which improved visitors’ exhibition experience. In addition to the app, other innovations included a live demonstration theatre and show tours, plus a networking reception for visitors and exhibitors.

PPMA Show 2025

The PPMA Total Show will return to the NEC next year, promising to be bigger and better than before. The event will bring together suppliers and end users, making it easier for visitors to discover the latest cutting-edge solutions for their businesses. Attendees can once again look forward to a diverse range of innovative exhibits, thrilling demonstrations, inspiring seminars, and plenty of networking opportunities, all designed to enhance the visitor experience.

For more information, please visit: ppmashow.co.uk