The Manufacturer Opus 2023 – OUT NOW!

Posted on 16 Mar 2023 by Joe Bush

The team at The Manufacturer are proud to announce the official launch of our 2023 Opus, an annual report profiling the shortlisted and winning companies from The Manufacturer MX (Manufacturing Excellence) Awards. Distributed throughout the sector and to education, this free report takes a deep dive into what makes these incredible companies tick and the reasons behind their success.


opus 2023


Putting together our annual Opus is one of our favourite tasks here at The Manufacturer, as it’s a true celebration of the amazing people and businesses that make up UK manufacturing. It’s an opportunity for us to look back at The Manufacturer MX (Manufacturing Excellence) Awards, which took place in Liverpool during last year’s Digital Manufacturing Week, and to shine a light on the shortlisted and triumphant companies – the crème de la crème of the sector.

Click here to download The Manufacturer Opus 2023.

Recent years have of course been some of the most challenging in living memory for UK businesses, and 2022 was no different. Optimism as we began to emerge from the shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic was tempered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent escalation of energy costs. Add this to the ongoing challenges around sustainability, supply chain disruption and the battle for skills and talent, and it would be easy to forgive manufacturers for feeling at little like Sisyphus, rolling a boulder up a mountain for all eternity!

However, these challenges are even more reason to champion success within the sector and UK manufacturing has shown time and again its ability to be flexible, adapt and to pivot in the face of adversity. Across many facets of society, we are on the cusp unprecedented change in relation to the welfare of our planet and the legacy we leave for future generations. Manufacturers will be at the forefront of that change and will be leading the charge of innovation in the years and decades to come.

TMMX Awards 2022 was therefore the perfect opportunity for recognition and to take a moment to honour some of those innovators and pioneers within the sector. Entries had to meet a demanding set of criteria and benchmarks developed in partnership with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). The finalists then had to endure a further round of grilling at the hands of judges whose job it is to test that self-assessment against the reality they find on the factory floor. Having been lucky enough to have observed the judging process, I’ve been able to see first-hand the inner workings of some of those shortlisted companies and all the hard work and toil that went into the nomination process.

All this blood, sweat and tears culminated in a magnificent finale as the award winners were announced at a gala dinner to mark the end of Digital Manufacturing Week. Manufacturing as a sector tends to fly under the radar of many people’s consciousness, and as such, perhaps doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves. Therefore, please help us share the message of the brilliant companies mentioned in these pages by displaying this document in your reception or sharing it with local schools and colleges.

To read more stories on Leadership click here.