See AIA investment potential at Southern Manufacturing 2013

In his Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced that the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) will grow to 250,000 for a period of just two years from 1 January 2013. This means that investment in plant and machinery up to this limit is 100 per cent tax deductible, giving manufacturing businesses a window of opportunity to re-equip for growth or greater operational efficiency. This welcome news coincides with a significant increase in the number of machinery and production equipment suppliers exhibiting at this year's Southern Manufacturing Show, making it a good opportunity to see the latest machines in action and evaluate offerings from the UK suppliers.

Machinery is particularly well represented at Southern Manufacturing 2013. Familiar companies such as Haas Automation, Yamazaki Mazak, XYZ Machine Tools and Hurco return in 2013, with working demonstrations of many of the current best-selling machines. XYZ Machine Tools will have four working machines on its stand; an XYZ ProTURN SLX 355 CNC/manual lathe with a 360mm swing over bed and a 5hp programmable speed (40-5000 rev/min) and an XYZ ProtoTRAK SMX 3500 CNC/manual bed mill with a 1372mm × 356mm table, together with two examples of its CNC Vertical Milling Centres. Hurco Europe will be exhibiting its VM10 vertical machining centre (VMC) and a TM6 CNC lathe as part of its "compact production solutions' theme. The company will highlight how its compact machine tools can squeeze maximum productivity from even the smallest shop floor space.

Amada Machine Tools will be showcasing examples from its comprehensive range of sheet metal machinery, alongside companies such as Bystronic, at Southern Manufacturing to promote its XCite80-E electrically-driven press brake. CMZ will be demonstrating its CNC lathes, while Agie Charmilles will be showing examples from its range of EDM and high-performance machining centres. Salvagnini will exhibit its range of sheet metal systems for the first time, alongside many other top-rank suppliers such as Ward Hi-Tech, C Duggan, Ajax Machine Tools, YMT Technologies and many others. Complementing them will be hundreds of related firms offering every kind of production equipment and tooling imaginable, from metrology to welding.

Big-name manufacturers

Show Director Phil Valentine comments: "The number of big-name manufacturers exhibiting this year demonstrates what an important marketplace for production solutions Southern Manufacturing has become. With such a wide selection of suppliers gathered under one roof, there is no better place to see the very latest hardware in action."

Commenting on the raising of the AIA limit, Valentine says: "The lifting of the investment ceiling is very welcome - but its two-year duration makes it important that companies start researching the market without delay. A visit to Southern Manufacturing in February will clearly give buyers an early-bird advantage."

Entry to Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2013 is free and FIVE, Farnborough, is easily accessible by road and public transport. To register, visit www.industrysouth.co.uk. On-site car parking is also free, and a free shuttle bus service operates daily between the show and both North Camp and Farnborough Main railway stations. Visitors can keep up with all the latest news on the show blog site, blog.industrysouth.co.uk or by joining the Southern Manufacturing & Electronics group on LinkedIn.