UK NEWS

AI toolkit to help manufacturers cut complexity

A new guide from Made Smarter is helping manufacturers cut through AI noise and focus on what actually works on the factory floor. ‘AI Adoption in Manufacturing: A Practical Toolkit from Made Smarter’ has been developed to support SME leaders navigating this significant technological shift. While awareness of AI is high, many manufacturers remain unsure where to start, how to manage risk and how to translate potential into measurable business value. The guide sets out a task-first approach, helping identify where AI can reduce low-value work, improve decision-making and strengthen day-to-day operations.

More information www.bit.ly/3Rj1BEj

UK’s first commercial waste-to-hydrogen plant

Up to 400 construction jobs and 100 permanent roles could be created under plans for the UK’s first commercial-scale waste-to-hydrogen facility. The £120m proposal, brought forward by Hydrogen TE (Manston) Ltd, has been submitted as part of a full planning application for a site at Manston, Kent. The development would process around 44,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste each year, including household waste, commercial plastics, timber and decommissioned wind turbine blades. The facility is expected to produce up to 8000 tonnes of hydrogen annually, supplying low-carbon fuel for industrial use.

More information www.hte-manston.co.uk

Meeting Black Country manufacturing’s energy needs

A major UK energy management consultancy has signed a new commercial partnership with the Black Country Chamber of Commerce to help local manufacturers navigate the increasingly complex energy market. Greenfields Energy Group, which already works with 64 companies in the region, will provide members with a no-cost review of their existing and future electricity, gas and water contracts.

Greenfields’ 10-strong team of experts will identify opportunities for immediate and long-term cost savings, as well as security of supply to power businesses as they look to plan for future expansion. Certain services will be discounted to Black Country Chamber members, while a series of webinars on breaking energy trends and issues will be delivered free of charge throughout the year.

More information www.greenfieldsenergygroup.co.uk

New MD named for FANUC UK and Ireland

Factory automation specialist FANUC has named Andy Armstrong as the new managing director of FANUC UK and FANUC Ireland, effective immediately. With a long history in the automation sector and over 40 years of experience in engineering and sales, Armstrong has spent the past two years as vice MD for FANUC UK and FANUC Ireland. The appointment will see him continue positive steps taken by previous MD Tom Bouchier to support FANUC UK’s continued growth and alignment with the company’s broader European goals. Tom will now focus on his role as FANUC’s cluster co-ordinator for northern Europe.

More information www.fanuc.eu

UK Manufacturers Outpace Peers

New analysis from FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics produced for the recent National Productivity Week shows the UK manufacturing sector has achieved sustained growth in output and productivity over the past five years, despite a smaller workforce and historically high levels of inflation. FourJaw’s analysis of the world’s largest manufacturing economies found that UK output in 2025 was 6% above 2020 levels, after accounting for inflation.

This real-terms growth outpaced that of peers such as the US (+4%) and Japan (+2%), while Germany saw a 6% decline. Despite a 4% reduction in the UK factory workforce, output has continued to rise, suggesting increased adoption of automation, robotics and data analytics to drive efficiency. In 2025, only factories in the US (£449k per worker) and France (£339k per worker) produced more output per worker than in the UK (£253k per worker).

More information www.fourjaw.com