With a wealth of experience, gained from working with providers of materials handling and logistics services, Event Director Rob Fisher looks at some of the highlights coming up at IMHX 2016.
Logistics and materials handling touch everyone’s lives – whatever is purchased be it online, in store or delivered from a wholesaler. That’s why IMHX, the UK’s leading logistics showcase is a must-attend event.
Sponsored by leading financial services provider Investec, the four day show takes place at Birmingham’s NEC from Tuesday 13th to Friday 16th September. It will reflect every aspect of 21st century intralogistics, showcasing the latest logistics and supply chain technology.
Present at the show will be over 100 suppliers of forklift trucks and associated products and services, over 30 supply chain and warehouse IT providers, in excess of 40 suppliers of automation solutions, over 25 companies working in packaging and well over 60 general materials handling exhibitors.
The regional heats of the RTITB Operator of the Year return to IMHX in 2016. This is held every three years to find the best forklift operator in the country and through a number of heats offers encourages operators to strive to be the best.
The Design4Safety awards, organised by the British Industrial Truck Association (BITA), will also be part of IMHX 2016.
The aim of the awards is to highlight the importance of product or service design in improving safety standards. By focusing on design for safety the awards recognise innovative thinking, regardless of the type or cost of the product or service. There is still time to enter by visiting www.imhx.biz/design4safety where you will also find the full terms and conditions.
The show will also feature a Demonstration Zone where many major manufacturers will be putting their trucks and equipment through their paces, showing their capabilities and versatility.
IT solutions are of course playing a growing role in the supply chain and in response to these developments for the first time IMHX will feature a dedicated Supply Chain IT Village.
Among those exhibiting will be Proteus Software which specialises in providing Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). David Bugden of Proteus said: “IMHX is the event for anyone involved in logistics and supply chain and this is our fifth time attending. The new IT Village provides a great platform for technology providers to meet potential customers and showcase new innovative developments.”
Also for the first time ever this year we are pleased to announce a Future Skills Zone highlighting the careers available to young people in Britain’s logistics sector, and featuring leading employers from across the sector.
With over 200,000 companies employing around 2.5 million people, logistics as an industry is the fifth largest employment sector in the country – and it is booming.
Our Future Skills Zone will show the brightest and the best that they don’t need to choose university as their route to a good career – and that a vocational route can take them into highly skilled managerial positions.
Leading companies across the UK are crying out for ambitious and motivated young people to take on interesting and challenging roles in logistics and allied industries and those participating in the Zone include leading forklift truck manufacturers Toyota Material Handling, and Linde Material Handling, whose apprentices will be stripping down and rebuilding a vehicle, Crown and Jungheinrich.
The former BITA Academy, now the new Forklift Training Engineering Centre (F-TEC), the industry’s training centre for apprentices and engineers, will also be providing information on apprenticeships Aftersales Director for Linde Material Handling UK, Mark Sullivan, said: “We received a record number of applications for our apprenticeship scheme in last year’s intake, showing young people perceive them to be really useful for career progression.
Each year we’re seeing apprentices reaping the rewards, learning new things and setting themselves up for a fantastic future in the materials handling industry.
“As a business, it’s so important for us to invest heavily in future generations, and create a highly diverse and skilled workforce.
Participating in the Future Skills Zone enables us to demonstrate the role we can play in harnessing talent. We’re delighted to be part of it.”
Within the Future Skills Zone there is also a Future Skills Presentation Theatre which will feature a series of presentations from young aspiring logisticians who will provide insight into what a logistics career path can offer. Presentations from XPO Logistics and Widdop & Co are already scheduled, with others being confirmed shortly.
Visitors to the Zone are also invited to play the board game Business on the Move to see who can make the most profit in just 15 minutes.
Competitors aim to maximise the value of their deliveries by air, land and sea at the same time as minimising their carbon footprint.
Playing against the clock, competitors have to balance delivering lucrative long-distance orders with smaller but quicker deliveries nearer to base. A daily ‘leader board’ will record how competitors do, with a free board game going to final winner.
As in previous years IMHX also features a high quality seminar programme to help visitors find solutions and pick up the latest ideas from leading professionals.
Taking place in the dedicated Seminar Theatre over the four days of the show, these sessions provide the opportunity to learn from some of the UK’s leading logistics companies. Presented by exhibiting companies, together with their customers, visitors can expect case studies on a range of topics, showcasing operational excellence.
To see the full seminar programme visit www.imhx.net/seminars There is plenty going on over the four days of the show – and with over 400 exhibitors expected to attend, IMHX 2016 is on track to be the biggest ever.
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