March 2021

The National Manufacturing Summit 2021 is the inaugural annual event that will help informand shape the future of UKmanufacturing. Join us on our journey to the Summit onTuesday 16th andWednesday 17thMarch, and have your voice heard as our sector comes together to discuss our priorities for the national manufacturing agenda. The National Manufacturing Summit (NMS) is free to attend, and will host two full days of presentations and interactive discussions with some of the UK’s leading experts and influencers. Over the course of the event, we will hear from a range of keynote speakers including politicians, explorers, Olympians and industry leaders. Confirmed speakers include:  Sir Ranulph Fiennes  Peter Ruddock, CEO , LockheedMartin  Nick Chaffey, CEO, NorthropGrumman  Tom Samson, CEO, SMR Consortium, Rolls-Royce  Ken Skates, Minister for Economy, Transport &NorthWales  LordWilletts, Resolution Foundation  Floriane Fidegnon, Head of Industry, Technology and Innovation, Policy Connect  Stephen Phipson CBE, CEO, Make UK  Katherine Bennett CBE, CEO (Designate), High ValueManufacturing Catapult  Lord Bilimoria, President of the CBI and Chancellor of the University of Birmingham  Dr. Clive Hickman, CEO, Manufacturing Technology Centre & Chairman of the MidlandsManufacturing Resilience Commission  Dick Elsy CBE, CEO, High Value Manufacturing Catapult The NMS is a tailored forumwhich will bring together the many voices of the manufacturing sector to discuss and set the national agenda for manufacturing. This will be an opportunity to create a vision, based on our shared priorities, to address the challenges ahead and provide a platform to showcase the best of UK manufacturing. Focusing on five core themes of technology & innovation, net zero & low carbon, SMEs & skills, supply chain & infrastructure and investment & finance, we will hear from key influencers who will not only inspire, but will share their knowledge and their vision towards a manufacturing led recovery. Aims and objectives The NMS has been created to achieve the following: 1. A renewed confidence in the manufacturing sector, through access to opportunities in new sectors and markets. 2. The dissemination of best practice, knowledge and strategic thinking. 3. Engagement with the latest tools and techniques to increase productivity and competitive advantage. 4. To provide a national forum for discussion and collaboration hearing from industry leaders, politicians and academics. 5. To access opportunities in new sectors and markets. The journey so far… The journey to the summit has seen us visit two different camps with two further camps to come, before we start our final ascent. The themes are what you would expect – the energy and the oxygen that we need to survive and succeed in our journey, and the emotion we all have for our industry. This 11 week climb has been spread over four separate 45 minute ‘camp’sessions and three full days spanning the Industrial Transformation Conference and the National Manufacturing Summit. Camp E-motion Our first Camp on the journey to the summit started with Camp E-motion which was hosted byWilliams Racing. During this stage of our climb we heard fromAl Peasland, Head of Technical and Innovation Partnerships, Williams Racing, James Colgate, Operations Director, Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, and Jason Johnson, Factory Automation Business Manager, B&R Industrial Automation. We reviewed the importance of assembling and building an agile team of experts to make the journey to the summit possible. We explored what a high performing team looks like, as well as considering what tools were needed, and what technologies and innovations would support us for the journey ahead. n COVER STORY Summit 2021 National Manufacturing