Secomak Shines at Automate UK PPMA Show 2024: Unveiling the DryGuide Essential and Winning Innovation Award
Automate UK PPMA Show 2024 was kicked off in style with Rory Scapens and Juan Gonzalez unveiling our brand-new drying machine, the DryGuide Essential. This compact yet high-performing machine has been in development for nearly a year, and its debut at the show was something we had eagerly anticipated. Designed as the “younger sibling” to our most popular drying tunnel, the DryGuide, the Essential was created for slightly slower production lines but delivers the same excellent performance.
One of the standout features of the DryGuide Essential is its compact size. Don’t be fooled by its smaller footprint—this machine is a powerhouse. Despite its reduced dimensions, it integrates a new innovation: a direct drive version of our 587 Turbo blower, which enhances efficiency and performance. Developed from the ground up throughout 2024, we were thrilled to finally reveal this solution, and the feedback we received from attendees made the wait worthwhile. Hearing positive reactions from potential customers and partners underscored the value of the innovations we’ve incorporated into this new dryer.
On Wednesday, we took things a step further by hosting a special ‘Meet the Engineer’ day. Joining the sales team on the stand were our Engineering Manager Luke Maher and the lead Design Engineer for the DryGuide Essential, David Clucas. It was a fantastic opportunity for customers and suppliers to get an inside look at the technical expertise and passion behind our latest product. Luke and David enjoyed chatting with attendees, discussing potential opportunities, and gathering direct feedback from people across the industry. This face-to-face interaction helped to build stronger relationships with those interested in our drying and heating solutions. It was a valuable chance to hear about specific challenges and ideas directly from the people who face them every day.
That same evening, the spotlight shifted to the Automate UK PPMA Awards dinner, where we were shortlisted for two prestigious industry awards. The first nomination was for our DryGuide Essential in the “Innovative Packaging Machinery – Multi-Purpose System” category, recognising the unique combination of versatility, efficiency, and compact design that sets this dryer apart from others. Our second nomination was for the “Partnership of the Year” award, which recognised our collaboration with the SKF Group on developing a Long-Life blower bearing.
We were honoured—and to be honest, a little shocked—when the DryGuide Essential was announced as the winner of the Innovative Packaging Machinery award. The competition was very strong, so to be recognised by the judges in such a competitive category was a major achievement for our team. This award is a testament to the hard work and innovation that went into the DryGuide Essential’s development and a real high point of the week for us.
On the final day of the exhibition, we hosted another successful event at our stand: the ‘Meet the Buyer’ event, featuring our Purchasing Manager Jo McGregor and Purchaser Carol Daley. This event was designed to celebrate our relationships with suppliers, both old and new. As much as we take pride in our in-house innovations, our success is also built on the strong partnerships we maintain with key suppliers across the UK. The purchasing team enjoyed meeting these partners and discussing future opportunities, as well as showcasing the results of their hard work on the new DryGuide Essential. While the sales team was responsible for a lot of pre-show pressure (sorry about that!), Jo and Carol did an incredible job of highlighting the importance of collaboration in bringing this new machine to market.
We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Automate UK PPMA for another outstanding exhibition. The show offered us the opportunity to have some incredibly valuable discussions with customers and suppliers, both long-standing partners and new contacts. For those who visited our stand, we deeply appreciate your time, interest, and insights. Our team will be reaching out this week to follow up on the many exciting projects discussed.
Additionally, we’d like to recognise those who worked behind the scenes to make this show a success. A special thank you goes to Brandon Pazitka of Freshly Brewed Marketing for the excellent work on our stand design, branding, and website. We also extend our gratitude to MARTECH3D for their fantastic support in creating the DryGuide animation that was a focal point of our exhibit. And, of course, a huge thank you to all our colleagues at Secomak, whose teamwork, dedication, and expertise made this event such a success.
As we look to the future, we’re excited to build on the momentum from the Automate UK PPMA Show and continue delivering innovative, high-performance solutions for our customers. Keep an eye out for updates from our team as we follow up on the great conversations started at the show!