The countdown to Digital Manufacturing Week 2022 has begun in earnest here at The Manufacturer HQ; at the time of writing, we are less than 50 days away from the doors opening at UK manufacturing’s premier showcase event, and you can feel the excitement in the air.
Our October issue is continuing our pre-event coverage and features Part 2 of Reporter, James Devonshire’s Smart Factory Expo preview which began in September. This month sees him catch up with headline sponsors Deloitte, Porsche-owned MHP, Made Smarter, Invest Liverpool City Region and Nokia (page 6).
Multimedia Editor, Tom St John sits down with three industry leaders who will be participating at this year’s Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit to get the lowdown on some of the primary discussion points at the event (page 52), while Conference Production Manager, Ashley Oulton, gives a sneak preview of the SME Growth Summit and introduces us to some of the keynote speakers (page 36).
In addition, we’re also featuring an interview with ASMPT UK (formerly ASM Assembly Systems Weymouth), a company that claimed two titles at last year’s The Manufacturer MX (TMMX) Awards: Product Innovation & Design (Large Enterprises) and overall runner-up for Manufacturer of the Year (page 18). As part of Digital Manufacturing Week 2022, TMMX Awards will take place on 17 November where the winners will be announced at a gala dinner.
To read the full magazine, click here.
Moving away from Digital Manufacturing Week for a moment, against the backdrop of skyrocketing energy prices and further supply chain issues, it would perhaps be remiss not to mention the recent announcement of a new government energy support package for businesses. While some highlighted a number of positive measures that will help shield companies from the worst impact of escalating costs and help protect jobs, others expressed concern that the support guarantee period is not without uncertainty and is more of a short-term fix rather than a long-term strategy (the full story can be found here).
In other news, the pound plummeted to an all-time low against the dollar in late September. However, despite the obvious negative connotations, John Mills, Founder of The Institute for Prosperity, feels that this could actually provide a boost to UK manufacturing.
“Our political leaders must shift away from our national obsession with policies that lead to an overvalued pound,” he commented. “Sterling has been much too strong, and has driven our manufacturing industry into the ground for far too long, creating an unproductive and low-growth economy.
“Now the pound is more competitive, we must commit to keeping it that way. There is now a vital opportunity to boost manufacturing and drive-up growth in the economy. This new level of the pound would help to steer us out of the economic crisis.” You can read a full interview with John Mills in the November issue of The Manufacturer magazine.
We also have a fascinating tour of the LUSH factory in Poole, where our editorial team took a visit. There’s all that and more to read in this edition.
To read the full magazine, click here.