PPMA Show 2027

Processing and packaging machinery is the focus of the PPMA Show, an annual exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham organised by Automate UK, the trade association for the UK's automation, processing and packaging machinery suppliers. Its roots in an industry association give the show close links with the machine builders and suppliers who exhibit.

The exhibition covers processing and packaging machinery, robotics, machine vision, automation and controls, packaging materials and containers and packaging design. Visitors are engineers, production managers, operations directors and buyers from manufacturing sectors such as food and drink, pharmaceuticals, personal care and household goods, many of them planning investment in new lines or upgrades to existing ones.

Live machinery is the defining feature. Seeing equipment running gives buyers a much clearer sense of speed, changeover and reliability than any brochure, and the show is built around that experience, with a Live Demonstration Theatre adding to the working machines on the stands. Seminars, the Automate UK Awards and a networking reception complete the programme, and entry is free for visitors.

For exhibitors, the show offers the chance to meet a technical audience with genuine buying intent at a single UK venue. Machinery purchases involve long sales cycles and several decision makers, so a well-run demonstration and a follow-up meeting arranged at the stand can move a project forward significantly.