Routeco LIVE returned in September and hosted hundreds of customers in Milton Keynes, Glasgow, Leeds, and Bristol. 18 key Routeco suppliers supported the event, and they were asked to bring along new and exciting products and innovations that will support UK manufacturing through changes and challenges - and they didn’t disappoint! The venues were busy and full of interesting discussions as attendees saw and tested new solutions and products on show, with experts on hand to help answer questions about future strategies and road maps.
As well as a busy show floor, there were also opportunities to attend Rockwell Automation seminars. Topics included increasing Overall Equipment Effectiveness of your plant and how products can deliver machine safety. Unsurprisingly, the most popular seminar from Rockwell Automation was ‘manufacturing cyber security and how to address it’ – an incredibly important topic as the world continues to change and demand for remote access and data intelligence grows.
Supporting the theme of ‘see, touch and learn’, there were live demos on the show floor, so Routeco and supplier technical experts were able to show real-life examples of how different solutions work. A Routeco automation expert delivered an overview of Smart Devices, Allen-Bradley’s E300 and SLC modernisation while a Wittenstein representative explained condition monitoring for gearboxes. Also on display was Routeco’s impressive Perforex laser centre to show their ability to customise and machine full panels ordered through Routeco.
One part of the room was buzzing with competitive energy as Weidmuller held a SNAP IN challenge where participants raced to get the best time and had the opportunity to see the precision and speed of their Wire Processing Centre. Emulate 3D proved popular too as headsets were tried on and users were able to see how the software lets you develop, test, and produce robust PLC and mid-level control systems offline, without the constraints of site work.
After a couple of years spent behind a screen, customers provided excellent feedback and said how much they enjoyed seeing so many products from a wide range of suppliers in an interactive environment.