Back with a bang: Med-Tech Innovation Expo preview

Nine months following its return after the spate of COVID-19 lockdowns, Med-Tech Innovation Expo returns on 8-9 June, and Ian Bolland picks out a couple of things to look out for at the 2022 running of the event.

Med-Tech Innovation Expo is a great environment to come across new technological developments, trends, product demonstrations, and is an opportunity to make those all-important new connections and leads.

With over 100 exhibitors, three pavilions, two stages, and a start-up zone, this means there will be plenty of activity on the show floor across the two days. The companies vary from those specialising in injection moulding, packaging, consultancy, materials innovation, distribution, and logistics allowing for everyone across the sector to make the business connections you require.

Here’s a few things I am looking forward to:

Product demonstrations

As the show connects the entirety of the design to manufacture supply chain, the show floor will cover of a full range of materials developers, manufacturers, device developers, but also products that are required to operate in the manufacturing environment.

Packaging specialist Shawpak will be bringing along its 4-side seal packaging machine. Manufactured at its facility in Derby, the company says its 4SS-6030 machine incorporates the latest technologies and functionality to ensure high efficiencies and low maintenance. This is also the first Expo the company has decided to showcase it on the show floor.

The aptly named Shoe Cover Magic will be bringing its own little bit of wizardry with its shoe cover machines – where you can simply place for your foot in right area for the machine to add and remove covers for your feet. At a time when infection control has never been talked about more, this kind of offering is useful for the cleanroom environments and adds that extra layer (literally) of infection security.

Speaking of infection control, one company where this will be a core focus is BioInteractions. At the recent MD&M West show in California, the company launched TridAnt, a new coating technology for medical devices which the company says presents a shift in infection protection against a broad range of pathogens.

You can hear more about this product and more about infection control with medical devices from BioInteractions’ commercial director Arjun Luthra who will be delivering a seminar on Day 2 on the Introducing Health-Tech Stage.

Speaking to Med-Tech Innovation and Medical Plastics News at MD&M West, Luthra says the company’s latest technology kills a minimum of 99.999% of germs and compared his drive to develop antimicrobial technology to that of Formula 1 racing.

He said: “The faster you are or the more elite while you're fighting for the smaller little minuscule or seconds. It’s the same thing. We're fighting for the one in a million or one in a hundred million. Right. We're fighting the one in a hundred billion. It's really changing the likelihood that a pathogen will likely be there in that environment.”

Conference stages

Luthra’s talk is just one of several insights that you can expect across our two conference stages, as he addresses infection prevention measures and associated healthcare infections.

The Med-Tech Innovation Conference Stage in association with Medilink UK brings together a programme covering the pressing issues affecting the industry today – ranging from new potential in manufacturing, how the pandemic has affected approaches to innovations, building a technology ecosystem in social care, helping to combat the backlog in the NHS and, of course, the topic of how to maximise potential in international markets.

That’s not all, as I’m particularly looking forward to hearing from the Day Two Keynote speaker, Karen Taylor from Deloitte, who has led research into the changing face of diagnostics and will present some findings as part of her seminar surrounding the innovation taking place in this part of the sector.

On the Introducing Health-Tech Stage, sponsored by Hessen Trade & Investment, there will be a mix of those who are exhibiting on the show floor as well as compelling talks about developing innovations during the recent pandemic and bringing products to the NHS.

There will also be a panel session that will discuss the pressing regulations in the medical device sector with an esteemed panel of guests explaining how they are going about navigating that environment. The afternoon of Day Two will see the return of PITCH@Med-Tech Innovation for the second successive year, brought to you by NIHR, SBRI and Innovate UK – where several budding start-ups will compete against one another in quick-fire sessions as they showcase their innovations and why they feel they have the potential to have a lasting effect on the health service, and develop further as a company. You’ll be able to read an interview with the winner in the next issue of Med-Tech Innovation News.

Pavilions and Zones

The international feel to the show this year will be a big highlight, as you’ve no doubt picked up on in my Editor’s Letter.

A mainstay of the Expo is the Medilink Pavilion and that returns once again, populated with exhibitors from its membership while the aforementioned PITCH contenders will feature on the start-up zone – giving visitors the opportunity to find out more about their exciting ventures away from the spotlight.

This year also sees the international feel of the show expanded as the Italian Trade Agency is accompanied by 18 companies from the sector to make up the Italian Pavilion – while the Economic Development Board of Mauritius returns to the show after its most recent visit in 2019, bringing along three medical device companies. The international feel doesn’t just stop with the Pavilions as companies from The Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, the United States and Hong Kong are among those who have a presence on this year’s show floor.

Med-Tech Innovation Expo takes place on 8-9 June at the NEC, Birmingham. For more information and to plan your visit, go to www.med-techexpo.com.