Preparing UK Industry for the future at MACH 2026
April 2026
Rising costs, skills shortages and global uncertainty are forcing manufacturers to reassess how they operate. Manufacturing remains a vital part of the UK economy, contributing over £500 billion in gross value added in direct, indirect and induced impacts to the UK economy and supporting around 7.3 million jobs, according to a 2024 study by Oxford Economics.
As the UK manufacturing sector gathers for MACH 2026, the conversation across the industry is shifting. Michael Duffield, UK General Manager at Renishaw, explores how manufacturers are strengthening operational control, improving resilience and ensuring their operations are ready for future challenges and opportunities.
For many manufacturers, opportunity is already present; the question is whether their operations are equipped to capture it. With growing demand in sectors such as aerospace and high-precision engineering, firms must ensure their production systems can scale efficiently.
This requires the right level of skilled employees and technology, supported by integrated, data‑driven decision‑making and higher levels of process automation. Together, these capabilities enable manufacturers to convert opportunity into profitable, sustainable growth. Without these foundations, even promising market conditions may be difficult to capitalise on.
The skills shortage challenges
Skills remain one of the most pressing challenges, as across Europe, 70% of advanced manufacturing firms had difficulty finding employees with the right skills last year. Developing the next generation of engineers takes time, and businesses must find ways to maintain productivity during this period of development. Research also shows that 59% of UK manufacturers are planning to increase investment in skills development. Companies are increasingly recognising that talent development, digital capability and operational efficiency must evolve together to support sustainable growth.
Apprenticeships are now widely recognised as a key pathway for addressing the skills shortage while developing talent aligned with the needs of modern manufacturing. In England during the 2024/25 academic year, approximately 29% of apprenticeships were in engineering and technology fields, highlighting the importance of vocational routes for technically skilled industries. For manufacturers, apprenticeship programmes represent a long-term investment in building capability, ensuring new engineers and technicians develop the hands-on skills needed for increasingly complex and technology-driven production environments.
At the same time, workforce demographics are shifting. The proportion of manufacturing employees aged over 55 has risen significantly and is increasing pressure on companies to develop robust talent pipelines. Knowledge transfer and structured training are therefore becoming critical priorities. Without effective succession planning, manufacturers risk losing valuable operational expertise that has traditionally been built over decades.
Unlocking productivity through automation
Improving productivity has become a central priority for the sector. A 2025 industry survey from PMMI found that 78% of manufacturers and suppliers ranked productivity as their top operational priority, reflecting growing pressure to improve efficiency and competitiveness. Against a backdrop of rising energy costs, supply chain volatility and global competition, manufacturers are increasingly focused on strengthening operational performance while maintaining product quality and reliability.
Technology can play an important role here, enabling skilled workers to focus on higher-value tasks rather than routine processes. Automation is therefore becoming increasingly important. While the UK's high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment presents challenges, the productivity impact of low automation cannot be ignored. Introducing automation in the right areas can increase consistency, improve throughput and help manufacturers respond more effectively to changing demand.
Reflecting the importance of advanced technologies, the UK Government has committed £2.8 billion over the next 5 years to research and development investment to support advanced manufacturing, automation and digital technologies as part of its long-term industrial strategy. The aim is to strengthen domestic capability and ensure UK industry remains competitive in an increasingly complex global manufacturing landscape.
Industry analysis suggests that around 41% of European manufacturers have already implemented Industry 4.0 technologies at scale, demonstrating how digitalisation and automation are becoming central to modern manufacturing strategies. Adoption is particularly strong in sectors such as automotive (53%), electronics (48%) and aerospace (44%), where precision, efficiency and process control are critical.
Creating a data-driven environment
Automation plays a critical role, but it does not deliver results in isolation. Its full value depends on accurate, reliable insight into how production is performing. Many manufacturers still operate with limited real-time visibility of the shop floor, relying on historical data or manual reporting to inform decisions about utilisation, stability and quality. In an environment where margins are tight, a lack of visibility can restrict improvement and reduce competitiveness.
Digital manufacturing technologies are beginning to address this challenge by enabling real-time data capture and analysis across production systems. With reliable insight into processes, businesses can detect variation earlier, improve quality and make better-informed operational decisions. When implemented effectively, these technologies provide greater control across the entire manufacturing operation, turning each facility into a data-driven environment where performance, reliability and sustainability can be monitored continuously.
According to PwC, 91% of industrial companies are investing in digital technologies, yet only around 6% consider themselves fully digitised, highlighting that real-time integration remains a work in progress. This shift towards data-driven manufacturing is enabling companies to move from reactive problem-solving to proactive performance optimisation.
Driving progress at MACH 2026
This is why events such as MACH remain so important to the engineering community. The exhibition brings together manufacturers, technology providers and industry leaders to explore solutions to shared challenges. At Renishaw, we participate as both a technology provider and a manufacturer. Our industrial metrology, additive manufacturing and process control technologies are used globally across a wide range of industries and are also deployed extensively within our own production facilities.
Our objective is to help manufacturers integrate these tools into robust, interconnected operations that improve capability, predictability and efficiency. This can include strengthening measurement processes to detect variation earlier, applying automation to improve throughput, and connecting systems to provide the insight needed for confident, data‑driven decision‑making.
Visitors to MACH 2026 are invited to explore how they can address technical challenges and wider strategic priorities at the Renishaw stand in hall 19, stand 420. In the exhibition's Education and Development Zone (hall 17, stand 380), our STEM outreach team will also showcase our programs to encourage more young people into the manufacturing sector.
Michael Duffield, UK General Manager at Renishaw
Michael Duffield leads UK sales activities for Renishaw's metrology technologies. With over 35 years' experience in industrial sales and engineering, he has held a range of senior commercial and leadership roles across the metrology sector. He joined Renishaw in 2008 and has since played a key role in supporting manufacturers across aerospace, automotive, medical and precision engineering markets. Michael holds a degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering and is focused on helping customers improve productivity, process control and long term competitiveness.
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