Category: Features & Interviews

By Robert Bennett It is not so long ago that the most successful manufacturing suppliers were also the most competitive, efficient, and cost-effective. In the Darwinian world of commercial procurement, success bred success. It became a self-fulfilling prophecy that companies likely to win the most lucrative competitive tenders were those with a history of winning […]

As the aerospace sector enters a period of sustained production ramp-up  and accelerating technological change, one reality is becoming unavoidable: future capability will depend on the talent entering the industry today through apprenticeship routes. Across the UK aerospace supply chain, manufacturers are competing for skills which is why this week’s focus on National Apprenticeship Week […]

By Abhisheck Bugadi from Rejig Digital Manufacturing is at a critical inflection point. Global competition, rising operational costs, supply chain disruptions, and increasing expectations for quality and sustainability have exposed the limitations of traditional manufacturing models. While automation has long been a cornerstone of industrial productivity, isolated machines and siloed systems are no longer sufficient in […]

Negative mental health is on the rise across the country, with one in five adults now suffering from a common mental health condition – a 20% increase in just over a decade. Nowhere is this felt more prevalently than at work, with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) declaring a work-related stress crisis in January 2026, […]

Insight from Chris Burns, Global Marketing Communications Director at HTL Group Entering 2026, manufacturers are contending with disruption that comes from several directions at once, and that combination is what makes planning harder than it was a decade ago. Longer, more fragile logistics routes remain exposed to geopolitics, climate events are affecting transport corridors and […]

By Samantha Mou Senior Analyst As a Senior Analyst based in China, Samantha provides support in the Industrial Automation sector. Samantha brings with her a master’s degree in Economics, and gained experience, whilst working in Germany, conducting market research in Industrial Equipment and Automobile Components. Market revenues for precision gears grew 7.8% year‑over‑year in 2025, […]

Entering 2026, manufacturers are contending with disruption that comes from several directions at once, and that combination is what makes planning harder than it was a decade ago. Longer, more fragile logistics routes remain exposed to geopolitics, climate events are affecting transport corridors and nodes, and highly specialised component supply still carries single points of […]

Automation is no longer a “nice-to-have” in manufacturing, rather it has become an essential differentiator. For AddQual Ltd, the Derby-based specialist in metrology and quality assurance, automation goes beyond simply ‘robots and machines’. It’s about rethinking how data, processes, and people interact to create faster, more transparent, and more reliable outcomes for customers in aerospace, […]