Why a change in culture will benefit productivity in this country

Gail has been writing about manufacturing technologies across several trade publications for over 30 years. She has worked as a business-to-business journalist with such titles as Food Manufacture, Fine Food Digest, Artisan magazine, The Grocer, British Baker, Builders Merchants Journal and DIY Week. While editor of Packaging News she won several awards and for the last 13 years she has been editor of Machinery Update, the machinery-only journal published by Automate UK. She stepped down from the magazine at the end of 2023 to work on projects for Automate UK including this new UK Automation Forum.

In his role as CEO of leading trade body Automate UK, Peter is looking to use his 25 years of experience in robotics and automation to support end users in adopting the latest in automation technology and to help raise awareness of the benefits that automation can bring to UK manufacturing. His experience comes from RARUK Automation, a company he formed in 2016 that is now a world leading supplier of collaborative robots (or cobots), and for which he is also now a non-executive director.

Clare joined the High Value Manufacturing Catapult as Director for Strategic Engagement, workforce and skills in March this year. She works across the network to support the development of the HVM Catapult’s unique workforce development offer and to realise partnership opportunities to build a high skilled manufacturing workforce in the UK. Clare was Head of Manufacturing Policy at the Department for Business and Trade and BEIS from 2014 in which time she led the department’s plan for manufacturing skills and was lead official on the Made Smarter Review. Clare developed the model for the successful Made Smarter adoption programme supporting manufacturing SMEs to adopt industrial digital technologies. She has also held a number of other roles in the civil service.

Chris’s role as Region Director for the Midlands & East of England is to engage Make UK’s members and to assist them in advancing their businesses. This is achieved by providing bespoke introductions, industry insight, a programme of events & networking opportunities, promoting their business and ensuring their views are heard with government at both a local and national level. Another key part of his role is to engage with stakeholders representing industry’s views including the media, Local Enterprise Partnerships, the West Midlands Combined Authority, East Midlands Combined Authority, Midlands Engine and the Greater Cambridgeshire Greater Peterborough Combined Authority.

Mike has over 40 years of experience in the application of automation to manufacturing across a broad range of industry sectors and is widely recognised as one of the leading authorities on the application of industrial robot systems in the UK. At the MTC, he is leading the drive to increase the adoption of robotics and automation in the UK. He is also a Director of the Manufacturing Technologies Association, Council member and past Chairman of the British Automation and Robot Association and has previously been Chairman of the International Federation of Robotics.

Henry has been the Managing Director of The Manufacturer (www.themanufacturer.com) for the last 18 years and is passionate about manufacturing and its role for the future. He is ick of the negativity and misconceptions surrounding the sector (“we don’t do manufacturing, not a suitable career, boring, dirty, not well paid etc etc”) and is determined to do something about it.