Logistics and supply chain professionals headed to Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in their thousands in September for three days of state-of-the-art intralogistics solutions, face-to-face networking opportunities and free conference seminars at the UK’s largest and most comprehensive materials handling event – the International Materials Handling Exhibition (IMHX).
IMHX 2022 Event Director, Rob Fisher, commented: “Visitors came with a real sense of desire to do business. I think that was partly down to the fact that this was the first significant materials handling and supply chain technology show post-covid. But it also seems that, for many visitors, IMHX was staged at the perfect point in their buying cycles, so they came with their chequebooks at the ready, so to speak.”
The mood among exhibitors was upbeat. Andy Bridgewater, UK Sales Manager, German Bionics, summed up the feelings of many of the exhibiting companies when he said: “Nothing beats face-to-face meetings. IMHX 2022 was a great opportunity to meet existing customers, old friends and discover new opportunities. The quality of leads was excellent, we saw all the ‘big fish’ and we already have a good number of follow-up visits in place.”
Rob Fisher added: “I am delighted that so many exhibitors have hailed IMHX 2022 a success – praising the excellent quality of attendees, the high level of engagement and quantity of new leads and orders taken during the three day event.
“Our exhibitors, visitors and speakers all contributed to a fantastic show. The aisles were busy with buyers ready to do business and many of our exhibitors have already reported that significant orders were secured.
“There was a great range of new products and technologies on display, which provided a real buzz and gave a perfect illustration of how the intralogistics sector is constantly innovating and evolving.”
Featuring several hundred exhibitors, the show was the launch pad for some of the most advanced intralogistics solutions ever seen – including fully automated forklift trucks and other robotic handling systems.
One of the highlights of the show was the Sustainability Zone. Delivered in partnership with SEC Group, the zone provided visitors with everything they need to develop an effective sustainability policy or benchmark their existing strategy against examples from some of the most successful companies in the industry.
Harry Watts, Managing Director of SEC Group, said: “The Sustainability Zone at IMHX 2022 used cutting-edge, immersive technologies to bring different sustainable solutions to life and show visitors how much potential there is to make their own operations more sustainable.
“We were delighted to welcome so many senior personnel from companies of all sizes and diverse industry sectors who realise that sustainability is going to have a growing impact on every company’s ability to build and maintain a profitable and agile business model.”
IMHX 2022 was supported by several of the UK’s most significant logistics industry associations and trade bodies, including: Automated Material Handling Systems Association (AMHSA), the UK Materials Handling Association (UKMHA); and the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA).
Dave Berridge, Secretary of AMHSA, commented: “IMHX 2022 was vibrant and provided a great opportunity for logistics professionals to discover new ways of improving their businesses.”
UK Warehousing Association CEO, Clare Bottle, said: “IMHX has always been a melting pot for all elements of the third party logistics, supply chain planning and materials handling industries. This year’s event was the perfect place to connect manufacturers and suppliers of a host of products and services with the organisations that have the most to gain from using them.”
Tim Waples, CEO of the UK Materials Handling Association who, in partnership with Informa Markets co-own IMHX, said: “IMHX is always a great chance to see the complete range of materials handling equipment, from conventional forklift trucks and pallet movers to state-of-the-art intralogistics solutions, all under one roof. This year’s event was a wonderful opportunity to learn about some of the ways that modern technology is integrating with conventional handling solutions to deliver the kind of operational benefits that supply chain bosses are looking for.”
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