On one of the hottest days of the year, manufacturers from across the UK gathered to take the temperature of UK manufacturing – and explore challenges, trends and new solutions.
We were proud to support the Make UK Manufacturing Dinner & Expo 2026, which was held at Hardwick Hall Hotel in Sedgefield in June, as drinks reception sponsor and exhibitor.
And along with fellow delegates, we heard from industry leaders, pioneers and commentators on the issues on everyone’s lips, from AI to the employment rights act, supply chain resilience to sustainability.
Here are just a few of our highlights…
Setting the scene
Stephen Phipson CBE, CEO of Make UK approached his opening address with both positivity and realism, as he tackled issues such as the impact of high energy costs on manufacturers, steel’s strategic importance, and the implementation of the Government’s industrial strategy.
“This is a very big manufacturing country, it’s not a place where manufacturing is in decline,” he stated. “We innovate, we have the latest products, we have the latest technologies. This is a fantastic country to manufacture in.”
But he pressed home the point that a strong manufacturing sector is vital for national resilience…
“It’s not a choice. You absolutely have to have a manufacturing sector if you want to be a safe and resilient nation. We need a strong defence industry, we need a strong food and drink industry, and we need lots of things to be more self-sufficient in a very uncertain world.”
AI was on everyone’s lips
There were some truly thought-provoking discussions on AI in manufacturing.
“I think AI is moving on and it’s not just about big tech and large language models,” said Brian Holliday CEO of Siemens UK and Ireland. “For manufacturers, it’s incredibly important that we think about tech adoption. It’s vital to our success now. It’s a global race.”
Dave Haslehurst, Managing Director of pressure vessel specialist LBBC, Laura McBrown, Managing Director of G&B Electronic Designs, and Richard Bradley, CEO of SST Group Ltd, among others, all provided excellent insights into how their businesses were embracing that transformative mindset.
It was also intriguing to hear how Jamie Hinton, Managing Director of Razor Ltd, and his team are working on industrial grade AI – AI that is fit for purpose in manufacturing environments.“Humans plus AI equals superpowers,” he claimed, as he explored the potential of AI in increasing efficiency and productivity, and reducing downtime.
Improving productivity
Professor Bart van Ark of The Productivity Institute at The University of Manchester focused in on how productivity can be increased – and why it really matters.
The takeaways? Building a ‘productivity narrative’ is vital for internal buy-in, the process should be collaborative, and the art of productivity “is to find the optimal mix of productivity drivers”.
And he warned: “do not change everything at once”!
Energising innovation
Did you know that Neil Young’s 2025 Hyde Park concert was powered by green hydrogen?
This was just one of the headline-grabbing projects undertaken by hydrogen fuel cell specialist GeoPura.
CFO Derek Bulmer provided an insight into the company’s remarkable work in clean and sustainable energy, and how it is helping to develop North East England’s reputation as a centre for hydrogen expertise.
Samantha Vassallo, Managing Director of Horizon Works, said: “As a company embedded into the manufacturing sector, we were proud to support the Make UK Manufacturing Dinner & Expo once again this year.
“Working so closely with the industry, we see at first hand how manufacturers are facing considerable challenges, but also how these are being tackled with ingenuity and innovation. This event really reflected the conversations many of our clients are having around resilience, sustainability and AI: I’m grateful to the speakers for sharing some very valuable lessons with us around these topics.
“Our thanks go to the Make UK team for bringing the manufacturing community together at this event, and for all the work they do in ensuring the sector’s voice is heard, loud and clear, by Government.”