MTA parliamentary briefing highlights the technology needed to turn industrial strategy into stronger UK supply chains
The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) has put investment in manufacturing technology at the centre of the UK’s resilience agenda, bringing industry leaders together at the House of Lords to examine how MACH exhibition can help translate national ambition into industrial capacity.
Hosted and sponsored by Lord Harrington, Chair of Make UK, the parliamentary briefing on Thursday 12th November explored the relationship between advanced manufacturing, sovereign capability and economic growth.
The panel discussion, Advanced Manufacturing & National Resilience, featured Lord Harrington, Jason Bowes, Chief Operating Officer of CloudNC and James Selka, Chief Executive of the MTA. It focused on productivity and technology adoption, examining how stronger manufacturing capability can help UK supply chains respond to disruption and capture new opportunities.
The event addressed priorities at the heart of the Government’s Industrial Strategy, which identifies advanced manufacturing as a sector central to growth and economic security. For the MTA, achieving those objectives means ensuring investment reaches manufacturers throughout the supply chain, including smaller firms whose capabilities underpin major industrial programmes.
James Selka, Chief Executive of the MTA, said: “National resilience depends on what we can make, how quickly we can make it and whether our supply chains can deliver when circumstances change. Sovereign capability requires sustained investment in the manufacturing technology behind the finished product.
“The test of industrial policy is whether it translates into greater productive capacity. Our members and exhibitors supply the technology that makes that possible, supporting the businesses producing critical components for industries such as aerospace and defence.
“MACH brings those capabilities together, connecting manufacturers with the equipment and expertise they need to increase output, compete for demanding contracts and retain more high-value work in the UK.”
The briefing highlighted the importance of enabling manufacturers to assess working technology and discuss production challenges directly with suppliers, alongside connecting equipment investment with workforce development and access to finance.
James Fudge, Head of Operations at the MTA, said: “Investment starts at MACH, with well over £220,000 in business conducted at this year’s edition of the exhibition alone. MACH is more than just the 5 days at the NEC it is 2 years’ worth of pipeline and client leads. Our own research indicates that one fifth of all manufacturing technologies investments in the UK start at MACH, highlighting how vitally important the exhibition is to national resilience.”
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