Page 5 - Summer 2025

The Five Pillars of Smart Manufacturing Week 4. Innovation and Smart Technologies:
This pillar recognised that innovation has to
Smart Manufacturing Week 2025 identified,
be at the heart of modern manufacturing
through research conducted by Hennik Research,
and so the Innovation Alley was introduced to
five themes that are considered to be key to the
draw attention to breakthrough innovation,
manufacturing sector.
in particular from start-ups and university
The partnership aims to support up to 47,000 young spinouts. The ‘Smart Tank’ and Technology
people to enjoy their own Big Bang at School day with Showcase Arena were also introduced under
special science and engineering activities, workshops this pillar.
and projects designed to arouse passion and curiosity
for all things related to STEM. The objective is to bring 5. Supply Chain Resilience:
tyhe same fun, excitement and interactive learning This pillar highlighted the importance of
experiences that are provided by the Big Bang fair to maintaining a resilient supply chain and was
the classroom to benefit 11 to 14-year-olds. enhanced by promoting innovative strategies
and new technologies that aim to overcome
1. Sustainability and Circular Economy: disruption and create agile systems. An
Sustainability and the challenge of achieving example was Epicor with its kinetic cloud-
Net Zero are seen as both a regulatory based ERP solution.
necessity and a catalyst for innovation and
SMART MANUFACTURING WEEK efficiency. As such the exhibition aimed to
provide a platform for visitors to explore Supporting Exhibitions
solutions that minimised environmental Alongside Smart Manufacturing Week were
impact, and a Sustainability Stream in the the already established TCT3Sixty, dedicated
event’s educational agenda. specifically to additive manufacturing
(3D-printing), Med Tech, Subcon and
2. Digital Transformation: Automechanika.
The integration of digital technologies is
transforming manufacturing and so the This year TCT3Sixty featured around 150 exhibitors and
One of the UK’s largest engineering exhibitions, Other new features for 2025 included the VIP demo ten speakers presenting on an Insights stage and an
show sought to highlight the tools needed
Smart Manufacturing Week, now in its fourth experience from Fracture Reality and the ‘Accubots’ Innovation stage, with topics including ‘Optimising
to enhance operations. This was reflected in
year, returned to the National Exhibition Centre from accu.co.uk. JoinXR by Fracture Reality allowed Additive Manufacturing with AI and Digital Twin’
the seven Solutions Theatre presentations
in Birmingham on 4th. and 5th. June. Around attendees to discover how extended reality is (Javaid Butt, Professor of Manufacturing and Product
incorporated into the educational agenda,
450 exhibitors were supported by around 140 revolutionising engineering workflows by accelerating Design, Birmingham City University), ‘Enabling faster
and in the Manufacturing Digitalisation Summit
presentations covering Automation and Robotics, design processes and decision-making, aligning Development of Space Propulsion Technologies
where the importance of the application of
Design and Innovation, Digital Transformation, IOOT cross-functional teams with greater clarity, scaling by Additive Manufacturing of VDM780’ (Juri Munk,
digital technologies to enhance processes,
and Connectivity, Industrial Data and AI, Institute technical training and onboarding, and reducing Researcher, DLR), ‘Realising an Order-of-Magnitude
efficiencies and outcomes for manufacturing
for Manufacturing Masterclass, Leadership and costly misunderstandings in complex builds. Growth in the UK Aerospace Additive Manufacturing
formed part of the programme.
Strategy, and a Technology Showcase Arena. Meanwhile the ‘Accubots’ (miniature 150g fighting Sector’ (Matthew Bailey, Lead Technologist, Aerospace
robots) represented a scaled down version of the Technology Institute), ‘Boosting Productivity with
The exhibition itself was sub-divided into Smart 3. Workforce Development and Upskilling:
larger Accubots competition. Beam-Shaping: Insights from using AMCM M290-2FLX’
Factory Expo, Design Engineering Expo, Drives and This pillar was a response to the fact
(Ruaridh Mitchinson, AM Technology Manager, The
Controls, Maintec, Air-Tec and Fluid Power and that over the past year 97 per cent of
Systems. The majority of the exhibitors (220) were manufacturers reported the hiring and Manufacturing Technology University of Bristol), and
‘Can you dig it? 3D Technology for Museum Research,
located in the Smart Factory Expo and Design retention of skilled workers to be a major
Engineering Expo areas. Key features included the challenge. Manufacturers are notably Conservation and Exhibition’ (Tom Ranson, 3D
Visualisation Specialist, Natural History Museum).
STEM Showcase, now extended to include school increasingly requiring expertise in areas
year students as well as those in further education, such as automation, AI and data analysis, Javaid Butt most notably said:
affording the opportunity to interact directly with and with 80 per cent stating that they are
“I believe that innovation in AM is no longer
industry experts, and a new ‘Smart Tank’ allowing struggling to find workers with the necessary
primarily about machines and materials, but
entrepreneurs to pitch business ideas and product digital skills, workforce development has been
is increasingly becoming more about data
concepts to a panel of industry experts, based recognised as a growing concern. In response
intelligence. Digital twins and AI together redefine
on a well-known TV format and forming part of the show sought to establish partnerships
that intelligence is offering a pathway to smarter,
the ‘Innovation Alley’, which featured emerging with Women into Science and Engineering,
sustainable and more adaptable manufacturing”
manufacturing technologies grouped under ‘People’, the Women’s Engineering Society, Innovate
‘Product’, ‘Process’ and ‘Planet’. UK and Cambridge University’s Institute Other highlights of this exhibition included Project
for Manufacturing, and set up a dedicated TAMPA, an ongoing project established in 2021 to
New for 2025 was the Technology Showcase Theatre
Manufacturers and Engineers of the Future accelerate the use of AM in the UK defence industry,
which afforded visitors an opportunity to view future
Programme. Sessions were purposefully the TCT Awards, and Print City MMU’s live design
developments and prototypes in fields such as
organised to address upskilling and provide competition in which Manchester Metropolitan
advanced robotics and wearable technologies, whilst
opportunities for both employers and potential University’s MSc students were challenged to optimise
the Manufacturing Digitalisation Summit returned
employees to connect. part designs to exhibit strength and high performance
providing a two-day conference specifically for
in a repeatable manner.
industry leaders and incorporated The Manufacturer
Top 100 Awards.
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