PLANTWORX, the UK’s largest working plant and equipment exhibition in 2019, is about to get even bigger with the introduction of a new dedicated section for the rail industry.
New for 2019, RAILWORX, which is being organised by Rail Media alongside the PLANTWORX team, will offer rail industry manufacturers and suppliers the chance to showcase their latest products and innovations as part of the huge multi-industry exhibition.
It is the first time that rail has had such a significant presence at the show and reflects the growing importance of railway infrastructure projects to the UK construction industry.
Celebration of innovation and enterprise
Jolene Price, Rail Media’s events director, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with PLANTWORX to expand rail’s presence at such a significant exhibition for the manufacturers and providers of construction equipment.
Photos courtesy of PLANTWORX
“Projects like HS2 and Crossrail 2, as well as Network Rail’s £47 billion CP6 programme, present a huge opportunity for the sector, but there is also a lot of pressure on the industry to meet this demand. RAILWORX will be a celebration of innovation and enterprise across the sector. It will be a great opportunity for our railway colleagues to learn from developments in other sectors and vice versa.”
Exhibitors at the 2017 event, which was held at the Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground near Lutterworth, included the likes of JCB and CAT.
The exhibition welcomed around 400 exhibitors from a variety of construction sectors, including groundworks, utilities, highways and demolition, and around 13,000 visitors.
The 2019 event promises to build on the previous show’s success as it moves to a new home: the East of England Arena and Events Centre in Peterborough.
Held every two years, PLANTWORX is organised by the Construction Equipment Association (CEA) – the trade association that represents the UK’s equipment sector.
Rob Oliver, chief executive of CEA, said: “PLANTWORX remains committed to its core purpose of showcasing the best construction equipment on offer to the UK market. Two major new initiatives for 2019 are the move to the purpose-built East of England Arena and Event Centre and the addition of RAILWORX – which will run alongside PLANTWORX.”
Rob added: “The biggest construction projects going forward are rail related – HS2 alone is worth in the region of £55.7 billion. Our partnership with Rail Media will give us access to key rail project executives and make the most of the great business opportunities now emerging.”
Photos courtesy of PLANTWORX
Stands and live demos
The East of England Arena and Events Centre has permanent indoor and outdoor exhibition facilities and areas for machine demonstration. The venue has a long tradition of hosting big machine events, with the likes of Truckfest and LAMMA – an agricultural equipment show – being held at the site.
RAILWORX will include a mix of trade stands and live demonstrations. The PLANTWORX and RAILWORX sites combined will cover more than 200,000 square metres.
On the final day of the show, school children from the surrounding area will be invited to explore the show and learn how the equipment on display helps to build railways around the country.
Jolene added: “The UK’s construction and rail sectors both face skills shortages that present real risks to the delivery of future infrastructure projects. By bringing in young people from the community, we hope to be able to inspire a new generation to consider a career in construction and engineering.”
To help everyone get to the exhibition, PLANTWORX has partnered with Virgin Trains to secure a 30 per cent discount on train services for visitors, exhibitors and organisers.
PLANTWORX and RAILWORX will be held at the East of England Arena and Events Centre on 11, 12, 13 June 2019.
Exhibitors will be able to purchase stand space from 21 May. For more information about RAILWORX, contact [email protected] or call 01530 816 444. For more information about PLANTWORX, contact [email protected] or call 020 82534517.
