The future of manufacturing – Smart Manufacturing Week 2025
Published: 08 April, 2025
As Industry 4.0 continues to evolve Smart Manufacturing Week 2025 (June 4-5) provides a platform to examine how emerging technologies, ideas, and businesses are shaping the sector. With a focus on digital transformation, workforce development, AI, growth, supply chains, and automation, the event will offer insights into the trends and technologies influencing the future of manufacturing and engineering. Smart Machines & Factories reports.
Smart Manufacturing Week brings together Smart Factory Expo, Maintec, Drives & Controls, Design + Engineering Expo, as well as the Air-Tech and Fluid Power & Systems zones, offering something for everyone. This year’s event provides a unique opportunity to explore the evolution of hydraulics and pneumatics within the industry’s broader challenges and innovations.
Taking place on June 4-5 at the NEC Birmingham, Smart Manufacturing Week 2025 brings together experts, innovators, manufacturers and engineers from around the world. Grace Gilling, Event Director said: “Over the past four years, Smart Manufacturing Week has evolved into a powerhouse event, growing in both scale and influence. We’ve expanded significantly; there are more event components, more exhibitors, and more visitors, making it an unmissable fixture in the manufacturing calendar. Based upon our research we have put together an event that is a showcase of the entire manufacturing lifecycle.”
At the heart of Smart Manufacturing Week 2025 is the exploration of digital technologies that are transforming the way products are made. One repeated theme of the event will be the integration of data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning into manufacturing processes. These technologies are making it possible to collect vast amounts of data from machines and sensors, that in turn provide manufacturers with the real-time insights needed to optimise performance, reduce waste, and enhance product quality.
Key sessions for professionals
As much as the exhibition halls will be a hive of innovation, the event’s educational programme will see experts exploring the latest thinking and presenting real-world case studies and examples.
The educational programme at Smart Manufacturing Week 2025 has been developed in response to extensive research that identified the critical challenges facing manufacturers and engineers today. The seven Solutions Theatres will cover a range of topics coming from that research, including Digital Transformation, Industrial Data & AI, IIoT & Connectivity, Design & Innovation, Automation & Robotics, Leadership & Strategy, Maintenance, and a new Technology Showcase Arena. Each of these theatres will deliver practical, actionable insights that manufacturers can apply directly to improve their operations.
For example, Daniel Simkiss, Industry 4.0 Programme Lead at British Sugar, will present a session on Data Analytics and Insights for Decision-Making, during which he will explore how data analytics is enabling smarter decision-making in his manufacturing environment. This session will cover how predictive maintenance, fuelled by real-time data, is enhancing system uptime and reducing maintenance costs.
Building on the theme of operational efficiency another key session is Scalable IIoT Solutions: Ensuring Connectivity from Pilot Projects to Full-Scale Deployment, presented by Biplab Sah, Senior Lead – Smart Factory Architect at Mars. This presentation will delve into the complexities of expanding Industrial IoT solutions across manufacturing operations. As more processes become connected, this session will offer valuable insights into how manufacturers can scale IIoT technologies effectively to enhance system monitoring and optimise performance across large-scale operations.
Discussion and debate will play a bigger part in this year’s educational programme and the panel session The Innovation Imperative: Staying Competitive in a Rapidly Changing Manufacturing Landscape will offer fresh perspectives on fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Led by Nick Kemp, Head of Design – X50 at Brompton Bicycles, this panel will explore how manufacturers can adapt to evolving market demands and integrate emerging technologies to drive long-term success. Attendees can expect insights into balancing operational efficiency with the need for innovation, making this session especially relevant for businesses navigating rapid changes.
According to Grace Gilling, Event Director, this careful balance of technical depth and leadership insight has been a key focus for Smart Manufacturing Week 2025’s educational programme: “We’ve put a huge focus on curation, ensuring that manufacturing end-user keynotes are strategically scheduled so they don’t compete with one another, and that there’s the right balance of leadership insights and technical deep dives. We’ve also introduced a brand-new panel format, allowing for a deeper exploration of key topics with multiple expert perspectives over an extended session.”
Exploring the cutting edge
One of the technical highlights of Smart Manufacturing Week, Innovation Alley offers a glimpse into the future of manufacturing tech by showcasing some of the most promising startups and disruptive businesses in the sector. Located at the heart of Smart Factory Expo, the Alley will feature exhibitors all falling into at least one of four categories. ‘People’ will highlight advancements in workforce management, training, and employee wellbeing, while ‘Product’ will focus on innovation in design, R&D, and materials. ‘Process’ will explore developments in productivity, resilience, AI, and supply chain optimisation, and ‘Planet’ will put the spotlight on sustainable manufacturing, energy management, and net-zero strategies.
Networking, collaboration and fun!
Smart Manufacturing Week 2025 offers plenty of networking opportunities, bringing together a wide variety of people from across the sector to exchange ideas, discuss trends, and form partnerships.
For some fun, the popular Guitar Legends competition returns, with a 3D-printed guitar for the winner plus the house band The Shadow Monkeys will pop up all around the event and return with their signature high energy and crowd-pleasing hits to close out the first evening’s visitor party. New for 2025 is ‘Smart Tank,’ where entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas to a panel of experts.
Adding to the excitement, the Robot Fight Fest by Accu will bring thrilling action on day two. Visitors can also witness the FANUC WorldSkills UK Industrial Robotics Competition qualifier. Meanwhile, the Best of British Showcase celebrates the finest in UK manufacturing, spotlighting groundbreaking designs, pioneering methods, and export successes. Previous editions have highlighted industry leaders such as ThrustWSH, Airbus, Aston Martin, and others, giving visitors a glimpse into the cutting-edge of British innovation.
Smart Manufacturing Week takes place at the NEC Birmingham on the 4th-5th of June 2025. Other exhibitions taking place at the NEC at the same time include Automechanika run by Messe Frankfurt; Med-Tech Innovation Expo and TCT 3Sixty from Rapid News Group and Subcon from the Mark Allen Group. One visitor badge provides access to all events.
For more information and to register for free visit click here.
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/smart-manufacturing-week/
