New event format strikes the right chord with visitors
Seco Tools' Inspiration through Innovation 2018 event ticks all the right boxes with visitors and Technical Partners.Seco Tools’ Inspiration through Innovation 2018 event ticks all the right boxes with visitors and Technical Partners.
Seco Tools (UK) has reported that its recently-held ‘Inspiration through Innovation’ event, that took place at the company’s Technology Centre on the 9th and 10th October 2018, was a huge success with over 750 visitors attending the event over the two days. Now in its fifth year, Inspiration through Innovation has become one of the UK’s premier annual advanced manufacturing best-practice events and is a firm favourite with Technical Partners and UK and Irish component manufacturers alike.
Although keeping with the key underlying principles of collaboration, knowledge-sharing and partnership which had made Inspiration through Innovation so successful in previous years, the 2018 event did have a different format and structure. The main differences included an increase in the total number of machining demonstrations taking place at the event, the addition of a best-practice Tutorial Programme that ran alongside the event’s Seminar Programme, and the creation of a new Technical Partner Exhibitor Zone.
“When you have an established and popular event there is a natural inclination to not want to change or tinker with its structure or content. However, from feedback gained from last year’s event combined with our own commitment to continuous improvement, we decided to change the focus and put machining right at the heart of the event.” Explains Richard Jelfs, Seco Tools UK’s Managing Director.
There were 16 machining demonstrations that took place at the event. Each focused on an actual or representative customer part and involved a number of technical partners working together and harmonising their technologies to develop the machining process. The technical partners included machine tool builders, CAD/CAM providers, and work-holding, cutting fluid, metrology suppliers. Seco provided the cutting tools for all 16 demonstrations.
“In addition to the machine tools we already have at our Technology Centre a number of machine tool builders (i.e. GROB, Mills CNC/Doosan. Heller, Matsuura, Mazak, ROMI, Willemin-Macodel, Fanuc and CNC Robotics) also brought machines. All the machines were involved in demanding and challenging demonstrations. Specific parts machined at the event included high-precision and complex aerospace, automotive, medical components.” Comments Mike Fleming, Strategic Marketing, Products and Services Manager at Seco Tools UK
Other highlights at Inspiration through Innovation 2108 included:
- Nine seminars, each led by an industry expert and each covering, in some depth, a relevant and topical manufacturing issue;
- Eight best-practice tutorials focusing, in the main, on the best-practice machining of stainless steels, titanium and nickel-based alloys;
- Over 40 Technical Partners showcasing their very latest products, services and technology solutions to visitors in the specially-created Exhibitor Zone.
“We were delighted by visitor turnout and by the commitment and response shown by all our Technical Partners. I was particularly impressed with the time, effort and resource our Technical Partners put into their pre-event promotions. These, plus our own marketing communications programme, increased the profile and visibility of Inspiration through Innovation 2018.” Continues Mike Fleming.
Technical Partners also took to social media during and immediately after the event to comment on their experience.
“Thank you (Seco) for another exceptional outing to your facility, and a superb example of what can be achieved if we all work together for our mutual benefit in UK manufacturing. Thanks once again from everyone at Matsuura.” Posted Ian Michie from Matsuura Machinery Ltd
Richard Jelfs concluded “Our objective with Inspiration through Innovation has always been to create an inspiring and practical event that is truly customer-focused and that demonstrates to visitors and partners alike that significant improvements in productivity, quality and performance can be best achieved through collaboration and by sharing best practice. This year we changed the format and structure and made it more machining demonstration led. Judging by all the feedback, from Technical Partners and visitors alike, the change in focus ticked all the right boxes. Although this year’s event has only recently ended we are already planning what we are going to do in 2019. We’re changing things again - so watch this space for details!”
