From 3rd-5th February 2026, the Active-PCB Solutions team attended the Southern Manufacturing & Electronics exhibition in Farnborough. Although the annual event takes place less than an hour away from the Active-PCB factory in Reading, it was our first year exhibiting, and despite the hard work and organisation involved it definitely proved to be a valuable and thoroughly enjoyable three days for everyone involved.
As one of the UK’s leading manufacturing and electronics exhibitions, the event brought together thousands of professionals from across design, engineering, production and supply chain functions.
With our Business Development and Account Management teams manning the stand over the three days, it was a great opportunity to introduce Active-PCB Solutions to new contacts and connect with our existing customers and partners.
Meaningful Conversations at Southern Manufacturing
Throughout the Southern Manufacturing exhibition, our stand was busy with visitors keen to discuss their upcoming projects. We spoke to engineers, buyers and programme managers working across a wide range of sectors, including industrial, medical, communications, motorsport and defence-related applications.
Many of the conversations centred on the importance of reliable UK-based manufacturing, supply chain resilience and having a partner who can support products right through from early prototyping to production. There was also strong interest in our expanding in-house capabilities, particularly around testing, inspection, and our new conformal coating facility.
It was encouraging to hear how many visitors are actively looking to simplify their supply chains, reduce risk and work with manufacturing partners who can offer accountability, flexibility and consistent quality under one roof.
Showcasing what Active-PCB does best
Southern Manufacturing gave us the chance to clearly communicate what sets Active-PCB Solutions apart from our competition.
As a UK-based electronics manufacturing partner, we support customers across the full lifecycle, from NPI and small-batch builds through to repeat, high-volume production. Our focus remains on quality builds, traceability, with excellent customer service and long-term partnerships.
The show also provided a good platform to talk about recent investments we’ve made across the business, strengthening our operational capability and allowing us to offer a more joined-up service to customers with increasingly complex requirements.
A great atmosphere and a strong industry turnout
Beyond the technical discussions, the event itself had a great atmosphere. It was well attended, well organised and full of energy, with a strong mix of exhibitors and visitors from across the industry.
Our arcade machine proved to be very popular, with visitors young and old competing to see who could set the highest Space Invaders score and win some amazing Lego prizes.
For a first-time appearance at Southern Manufacturing, the response was extremely positive, and the team came away with plenty of follow-up actions and new conversations to continue in the coming weeks.
Looking ahead
We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to stop by the Active-PCB Solutions stand, whether for a quick introduction or a more in-depth discussion. The quality of conversations we had reinforced the importance of events like this in building relationships and understanding the real challenges customers are facing.
If we didn’t get a chance to speak in detail at the show, or if you’d like to continue a conversation, we’d be very happy to hear from you. We’re already looking forward to building on the connections made and exploring how we can support future projects.
