After increasing to add a dedicated chemical lab zone last year, CHEMUK returns with a further addition to its show complement at Birmingham NEC from 21-22 May.
CHEMUK’s year on year growth in scale and complexity can be measured in the expansion of its dedicated show zones. Last year the existing complement of three was upped to four with the addition of a new zone, tapping into those areas most relevant to Laboratory News readers.
Now the chemical laboratory zone returns for a second year, to be joined by another addition: the formulated product manufacturer zone.
Its focus will be the downstream chemical user sectors, connecting product brand owners and retailers with specialist ingredient, contract manufacturing, logistics, packing and fulfilment partners. Among those exhibitors confirmed for the zone are Thomas Swan, Kerax, Cod Beck Blenders, Univar Solutions – Beauty & Personal Care, Briar Chemicals, Wyepak, Surfachem and Safapac, plus many others.
The zone will operate in tandem with CHEMUK regulars. In addition to the returned chemical lab zone are longstanding CHEMUK regulars: the process and chemical engineering zone; chemical supply zone; and the chemical management zone.
Within the exhibitors at Birmingham NEC there will, say the organisers, be a record number of newcomers to the two-day event.
More than 150 first timers had been confirmed as Laboratory News went to print. Names include Croda, Sulzer Pumps Wastewater, Zwick, Merck, Arxada, EasyXAFS, GMM Pfaudler, KROHNE and WOMAG Weighing. Check the website for further updates between now and mid-May.
In keeping with the objective of combining product displays and thought leadership, the event is also maintaining its tradition for hosting extensive workshops.
This year’s speaker programme encompasses 100 expert sessions over five different stages dispersed over the show’s extensive floorspace.
Provisional commitments include the UK Government with DEFRA and HSE briefings, plus The UK Export Academy, which also has a stand.
Other notable participants are IChemE, the Royal Society of Chemistry, Innovate UK, Henry Royce Institute, the Chemical Business Association, the Chemical Industries Association, BASF, plus others.
Full details of the finished programme will be made available during March on the event website.
However, among the early highlights that have been announced is the Alliance of Chemical Associations (ACA) leaders panel. Within the alliance’s membership of trade associations are an estimated 1,400 companies, most of which are small to medium enterprises (SMEs).
Academia, a vital source of R&D initiative and recruitment, takes centre stage to discuss the pressures on higher education chemistry departments. CHEMUK’s Big Education Debate on 22 May will invite industry and higher education heads to consider UKJ education’s support for science skills and needs.
This year’s speaker programme encompasses 100 expert sessions over five different stages dispersed over the show’s extensive floorspace
Likewise, another guarantor of sector health, startups and spinouts will be the focus for the Innovation Ecosystem.
Henry Royce Institute, Innovate UK Business Connect, Aston University, Royal Society of Chemistry’s RSC Change Makers, the Materials Innovation Factory and the Biorenewables Development Centre provide support for those on the journey towards full-scale commercialisation.
And, as a final highlight for the sustainableminded and petrolheads alike is the University of Warwick’s Waste2Race project, featuring a Le Mans Prototype class 3 car, fuelled by sewage.
- CHEMUK 2025 takes place on Wednesday 21 May and Thursday 22 May 2025
- Venue: NEC – National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, B40 1NT
- Opening Times: Day 1: 9.30am-5pm; Day 2: 9.30am-4pm
- Register for your FREE entry badge and check travel and other details at chemicalukexpo.com
Footfall friendly, soft sell
Trade shows are often an investment for exhibitors, bringing the market to the stand and a no-pressure opportunity for potential purchasers to see products in action
Leeds-based Fenton Packaging Solutions, located at stand M146 at the annual trade show, for both days of the event, from 21-22 May, is one of many participants whose business has a strong focus on sustainability.
Chris Warren, managing partner of sales at the company, acknowledges that established practices and materials are well entrenched in the industry but firms are becoming more open to change.
“In the chemicals, process engineering and formulated product industries, rigid plastic containers remain the traditional solution for transporting and storing everything from chemicals to coatings and cleaning agents, but the sustainability landscape is changing rapidly,” he explains.
“Shareholders, pressure groups and the public are asking that industry moves away from plastic or at least reduces its use. As a result, businesses are in turn increasingly being asked to consider alternative solutions that could reduce the weight of plastic used and have the potential to be easier to recycle.”
Exhibiting products at the show offers a chance of guaranteed footfall and an opportunity to reach customers who might otherwise be reluctant to consider change or be resistant to the hard sell.
