The World of Manufacturing: Products, Technologies, & Insights

Duration: 1 hr 37 mins
Publication date: 15 May 2025

Abstract

The UK stands as a global leader in manufacturing, renowned for its world-class talent, cutting-edge products and innovations, advanced technologies, and exceptional manufacturing capabilities that are in high demand worldwide.

As the industry evolves, factors such as advancements in technology, environmental imperatives, the push for decarbonisation, and shifting geopolitical landscapes - including conflicts and protectionist policies - are driving significant changes in global manufacturing, with notable impacts on the UK as well as providing exciting opportunities.

At this event, prominent leaders in UK manufacturing will share their insights and perspectives on these critical shifts. Additionally, some of the country's most innovative SMEs will showcase their groundbreaking products, technologies, and operations -demonstrating the strength and potential of UK manufacturing on the global stage.

Keywords:: UK manufacturing

advancements in technology

design and manufacturing

exceptional manufacturing capabilities

global manufacturing

information and communications

innovative SMEs

research and innovation

shifting geopolitical landscape

Channels

Manufacturing

Communications

Lectures

Speakers

Halil Bedevi

Manufacturing IQ, Founder and CEO

Halil Bedevi is a manufacturing industry specialist with expertise in engineering, operations, global manufacturing, and international trade. Halil leverages over 30 years of experience to help businesses connect, improve, and grow in the UK and globally. Halil Bedevi is the founding consultant at advisory Manufacturing IQ, supporting manufacturing businesses with strategic consulting, interim management, and NED inputs.Previously, he was the UK Head of Advanced Manufacturing Sectors at Santander UK, leading manufacturing strategy and supporting client growth. A Chartered Engineer, Halil has held leadership roles in engineering, operations, consulting and board-level management, in the manufacturing industry, working with startups, SMEs, and global corporations across multiple sub-sectors. His expertise spans supply chains, sourcing, business development, improvement and growth. With an extensive global network and deep industry insight, Halil is committed to fostering collaboration and driving positive change within the manufacturing sector.A Visiting Fellow and Advisory Board Member at Cranfield University, Industrial Associate at the University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing and a Fellow of the IET, Halil is a recognized industry and thought leader in UK manufacturing. He studied engineering at Oxford Brookes University, and holds an MSc in Advanced Manufacturing Technology, and a further master’s degree level qualification in Manufacturing Management (FMM) from Cranfield University.
Lord Karan Bilimoria of Chelsea

Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords UK and Founder of Cobra Beer | Former President of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) | Current Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) UKLord Karan Bilimoria is the founder of Cobra Beer, a household brand in the UK and one of the most awarded beers in the world.Lord Bilimoria is a Lieutenant to His Majesty’s Commission of Lieutenancy for the City of London, and a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of Greater London. He is one of the first two visiting entrepreneurs at the University of Cambridge and a founding member of the Prime Minister of India’s Global Advisory Council. In 2006, Karan Bilimoria was appointed as the Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, becoming the first-ever Zoroastrian Parsi to sit in the House of Lords. From July 2014 to July 2024, he served as the seventh Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, becoming the first Indian-born Chancellor of a Russell Group University in Great Britain. He served as President of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) from 2020 to 2022. Since January 2025, Karan has served as Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) UK.
Brian Holliday

Siemens Digital Industries , Managing Director

Brian Holliday is Managing Director for Siemens Digital Industries, a technology company serving the UK and Ireland’s manufacturing and industrial-infrastructure sectors.He is co-chair of the UK Government Made Smarter Commission and Industry/AI Innovation Accelerator. He is the chair of Make UK, The Manufacturers’ Organisation’s Strategic Policy Group, having been a board member since 2015. He has formerly been a board member of the UK High Value Manufacturing Catapult, Chair of the CBI’s Manufacturing Council and member of the Royal Society’s Science Industry and Translation Committee.He is a keen advocate for engineering, innovation, skills and advanced technology deployment, contributing regularly to media, policy forums and peer networks.A 2022 Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Brian started his career as an apprentice with Texas Instruments and has degrees from Cardiff and Manchester University in addition to an honorary doctorate from Middlesex University.
Roy Haworth

Airbus Defence and Space, Head of Design Process, Methods Tools and Data

Roy began his career as an Apprentice in the Royal Navy, qualifying with an HNC in Communications and Electronic Engineering, on leaving he joined Matra Marconi Space in 1992 and has worked in many areas of the business as it has progressively transformed into Airbus. Roy has been involved in over 200 satellite projects and has driven lean and agile projects in all areas of the business.He has experience in Production, Procurement, Quality and Customer support. Roy currently is responsible for a department of 100 staff across Europe involved in the support and implementation of a Digital Design and Manufacturing System in the Satellite Design Office as part of the End to End Digital transformation of Space activities in Airbus.Roy also has a deep interest in the development of early careers activities for the Space Industry as a STEM ambassador, Enterprise Advisor and Chair of the Space Apprenticeship Trailblazer group.
Marco Gomez-Jenkins

Super-Sharp Space Systems Ltd, Co-Founder and CEO

Marco Gomez-Jenkins is co-founder and CEO of Super-Sharp Space Systems Ltd, an Earth-Observation company developing unfolding space telescopes to capture ultra high-resolution thermal images. He leads the development and execution of the business plan for the company, including fundraising efforts and customer engagement.He holds an MBA from Imperial College London and was a Royal Society of Edinburgh Enterprise Fellow at the University of Cambridge, where he led the commercialization of SuperSharp's core technology developed at the Institute of Astronomy. Marco also has a background in aerospace engineering and was the Project Manager of the Irazú Project, a space mission that consisted of launching the first Central American satellite in 2018 to monitor carbon fixation in Costa Rican rainforests.He is a member of the IAF Latin-America and Caribbean Subcommittee (LAC-SC), the Small Satellite Committee of the International Academy of Astronautics, and the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Samuel Guest

Protolabs, Global Product Manager

With a background in engineering sales and manufacturing, Sam is an integral member of the European Product Management Team at Protolabs. He is responsible for continually improving the injection moulding offer so Protolabs can provide the best possible service to end-users. Sam’s expertise reaches beyond the core services and is applied to the development and integration of wider manufacturing applications, expanding the suite of the Protolabs proposition.
Dave Swan

Tharsus Ltd, CTO

Dave joined Tharsus back in 2007 following ten years in senior engineering and operational management roles within the Tier 1 and OEM Automotive world at global companies including Viasystems and Magna Kansaei. He is an inquisitive generalist and natural collaborator that explores, creates, defines and then defends the inner essence of the Strategic Machines that we create for our customers. Foremost in his mind is the need for it to deliver competitive advantage and commercial success back to customers. So, disruptive though they are, their solutions are grounded in hard reality.

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