Hello listener, it's time for another packed episode of The Manufacturer Podcast.

Today, we bring you some soundbites from the factory floors/boardrooms of four UK manufacturers.

Dennis Eagle, commercial refuse vehicles manufacturer, Forterra, a brick and construction materials manufacturer, Bisley, makers of office and home furniture, and Wisla, a textiles manufacturer of narrow fabrics.

An accurate snapshot of modern day industry as we see it. On the face of it, quite mundane sounding - bricks, textiles, boring, right?

And once again, our peak behind the curtain reveals some fascinating innovations and market diversifications, all taking place in high performing, advanced engineering settings.

We also feature part of an interview with Andy Reid, Head of Marketing at Sage. He speaks to Molly about compliance pressures for manufacturers, particularly in food and beverage, and the digital tools that can ease those problems.

Andy will be a keynote speaker at our Manufacturing Leaders' Summit in Liverpool on 11-12 November. His talk will be touching on some of the issues he covers with Molly, and more broadly about how the sector can close the digital gap with global leaders by embracing AI and automation.We then run through the list of finalists for this year's Manufacturer MX Awards and hint at some of the companies and individuals to watch out for. With no hint of favoritism, of course, as we had to remind Joe.

And another critical examination of the transport industry in this week's 'Made by a Moron.' Are the cup holders on table trays really working for you?

What's new with you, listener?

In the industrial world, the big news of the year continues to be the cyber-attack on Jaguar Land Rover. While this was discussed in our last episode, the recent development is around who carried out the attack, with a report from The Telegraph saying that the scale and sophistication of the incident suggests hackers may have been acting on behalf of a foreign state. The link to the Kremlin is now an active line of enquiry. 

The somber mood continues as influential figures in chemicals and steel speak out about the "existential threat" facing both industries.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Founder and Chairman of chemical giants Ineos, has said that the moment of reckoning has finally arrived for Europe’s chemical industry. He believes the industry is at tipping point and only urgent action can save it.

Similarly, Britain’s steelmakers have warned they face “perhaps the biggest crisis” in their history after the European Commission proposed doubling tariffs on steel imports to 50 per cent. Gareth Stace, director-general of UK Steel, has urged ministers to act quickly.

We also hear about Molly's trip to Silverstone to hear from Aston Martin's Formula One team about preparations for next season, where they will be looking at lighter cars, slimmer tyres and electric engines.

And find out what is going at Arla Foods up in Lockerbie, where the company has marked 50 years of cheese-making at Lockerbie with a multi-year investment programme of more than £144 million.

Plenty for your ears to absorb, but if that wasn't enough, Joe, clearly with a lot on his chest, gives us a flurry of entries for this week's 'Made by a Moron.'

After a couple of months away from the mic, we are back with the latest episode of The Manufacturer Podcast. This week's main talking point - the impact of the cyber-attack on Jaguar Land Rover.

After just over a month of complete shutdown across JLR's three UK sites, in Solihull, Wolverhampton and Halewood, we reflect on the impact this has had.

Of course, JLR is directly affected. Around 34,000 people in the UK work for the company, many of those people have been placed on leave. JLR is reportedly losing £50 million in profit a week, and an expected £2.2 billion in revenue.

This has also hugely impacted the automotive supply base, the companies that provide various parts to JLR. We've spoken to a few of them in recent weeks, and even visited some of the currently idle factories.

Those visits were made by editorial team members on the road for The Manufacturer MX Awards judging weeks. In round two of the process, judging teams entered the facilities of finalists across various categories.

The Operational Excellence category was judged by Jon Tudor of True North Excellence, Alison Beard-Gunter, an independent consultant and the chair of this year's Manufacturing Leaders' Summit, as well as Anish Varkey of Lotus. All three of them share their experiences and insights from their judging week.

The top story on The Manufacturer website this week is Molly Cooper's trip to the Goodwood Festival of Speed to check out the latest innovations at the FOS Future Labs.

While there, she had the chance to chat with Tim Peake about his career, getting young people into STEM and what technologies he thinks will change the world.And in this week's 'Made by a Moron,' James Devonshire has trouble on his flight back to Philippines, which forces him to question the point of reclining plane seats.

Take a listen!

In this episode of The Manufacturer Archives we have Wendy Graham, the first ever woman to hold the position of Plant Manager at Ford in Dagenham.

This site holds particular significance as far as women’s rights are concerned. This was the site where female factory workers went on strike in 1968 demanding equal pay for equal work.

You can tell that Wendy feels that significance, and she carries that history forward into Ford Dagenham’s present and future.

And she wants to have a strong say in ensuring that the site's future involves a diverse and inclusive workforce, where everyone can thrive.

Our features editor Molly Cooper went to interview her, andthis interview ran in our Q2 edition of The Manufacturer Magazine.

Wendy opens up about some of her experiences, the path that led her to her current role, and her thoughts on diversity and gender within the industry as a whole.

Sit back and enjoy this conversation between Molly and Wendy.

Here is the final episode of our People & Skills series - just for you, listener.

After we catch-up with one another following Smart Manufacturing Week, we discuss some of the big news of the week. Starting with the announcement of the UK's long awaited Industrial Strategy.

We also point you in the direction of some other stories on The Manufacturer website, a couple of which relate to International Women in Engineering Day which also occurred this week.

And an animal themed 'Made by a Moron' this week. As well as a warning to all parents with trampolines.

We recorded this podcast from the show floor at Smart Manufacturing Week at the NEC in Birmingham.

We spoke with Geunther Steiner at the show, who many fans of Formula One will be familiar with. Geunther is the former Team Principal of the Haas Formula One team, and a star of the Netflix documentary 'Drive to Survive'. Part of his interview can be heard in this episode.

The team also run through some of the other highlights that have taken place at the show this week.

We also run through some news from the week, including Sir Keir Starmer's defence spending review, which was announced from the BAE Systems shipbuilding facility in Glasgow.

The Manufacturer Podcast is back after a lengthy absence.

The Q2 edition of The Manufacturer Magazine and a long list of events and editorial visits have been the reason for this.

But we're back with a crash, a bang, and a wallop! As we pay a visit to robot battling Accu in Huddersfield. They'll be bringing their own version of Robot Wars to Smart Manufacturing Week in a couple of weeks.

But first, even more show build-up, as we feature Petra Velzeboer. She'll be one of our keynote speakers at SMW. Her talk will challenge her audience on what it really means to thrive under pressure and she'll be discussing mental health strategies for the industry.

There's all that, and a general catch up on industrial goings on. It's good to have you back, listener.

In this episode of The Manufacturer Archives, we have an interview with Paul Brooks, Manufacturing Lead at the

Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade.This was recorded in late April of 2025, when the situation on global tariffs on US exports was uncertain, before the UK and the US struck a tariff deal.

Paul discusses what businesses should consider in the wake of future uncertainty.

Another great episode made lovingly for your ears, listener.

Automotive features heavily here, with visits to two iconic UK plants; Nissan in Sunderland and Ford Dagenham.

We attended an event marking 10 years of the Nissan Skills Foundation, where 200 school kids from the North East flooded the factory floor to build 300 cars out of LEGO.

And Molly visited the historic Ford Dagenham site, where after 97 years, Wendy Graham has become the first Engine Plant Manager. This comes 57 years after women factory workers famously went on strike in a demand for equal pay.

All that and plenty more in today's episode.

Hi listener, a bumper episode for you to get your ears around.

President Trump's comprehensive outlining of trade tariffs imposed on all goods coming into America was announced this week. Hear our reaction and the reaction of UK manufacturers from some of the sectors most impacted.

And, as this is the first episode of our People & Skills Series, we wanted to put a spotlight on apprenticeships, with a recent feature on The Manufacturer website, some recent good news stories in our headlines round-up, and a podcast featured taken from the night of The Engineering Trust Awards in Oxford.

There's all that at plenty more in today's episode.

In this episode of The Manufacturer Archives, we feature Professor Mike Capaldi, Chair of Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centres.

He discusses the need to place Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD) at the heart of the UK's green energy strategy, and tells us what DER-IC's role will be in that process.

In this episode of The Manufacturer Archives, we feature the cover story of the Q1 edition of The Manufacturer Magazine.

Charlie Kingsley is the Corporate Sustainability Manager at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I. In this interview he discusses the company's varied and growing sustainability initiatives, and how sustainable manufacturing is central to everything they do.

This episode of The Manufacturer Archives features one of our interviews from National Apprenticeships Week. We hear from India-Grace Humphries, a second-year sustainability consultant apprentice working at Schneider Electric.
India talks about her current role and her route into the industry. She also discusses how the apprenticeship route has really worked for her, and what she believes companies can do to encourage more people into manufacturing.

We have the final episode in our Sustainability Series, specially prepared for your ears, listener.

Our podcast sponsors, Kingspan Insulation, make a number of products from their facility in Pembridge, which are used to insulate buildings of all kinds. We paid them a visit.

Managing Director of The Manufacturer, Grace Gilling, gives a 60 second rundown of sustainability at Smart Manufacturing Week this year.

We also give you a sneak preview of a trip to AB InBev, the largest brewer in the world. And to Haldiram's, India's biggest snack brand.

As well as that, James tells us about his death defying ladder fall, and Joe expresses concerns over his builder's lack of bathroom breaks.

This episode of Archives features Richard Lloyd. Richard has held managing positions at the likes of Accolade Wines at The Park in Bristol, and Encirc Beverages in Cheshire. He is an expert in Lean Operations, and has driven large sustainability projects at his previous companies.

Richard gives us some of his reflections and experiences as a leader. As well as his successful entries in our Manufacturer MX Awards, where he was part of several teams that picked up a numerous honours.

In this episode of The Manufacturer Archives, Andrew Frankland makes another appearance, as ForestNation return to Smart Manufacturing Week this year as the show's sustainability partner.

Hear this full version of Andrew's interview, part of which featured on the Sustainability Series of The Manufacturer Podcast.

Another top episode of The Manufacturer Podcast for your ears.

Richard Lloyd speaks to us about his experiences at the likes of Accolade Wines at The Park and Encirc Beverages. He was part of several successful award wins at The Manufacturer MX Awards, and he has led on numerous sustainability initiatives at both companies.

We also feature Professor Henrik Von Scheel, who will be a keynote speaker at this year's Smart Manufacturing Week. He has been called the originator of Industry 4.0, and in part of his interview with us he talks about the relationship between technology and sustainability.

And we give our reaction to this week's announcement that a 25% tariff will be imposed by the US on all steel and aluminum exports. Yet another set-back for the UK steel industry.

There's all that and plenty more in today's episode.

Hi there, listener.

Get your ears around this tremendous podcast episode. The third in our Sustainability Series, sponsored by Kingspan Insulation.

The UK's tyre manufacturers, including Michelin in Stoke on Trent, are urging their customers not to buy cheaper, single-use tyres that are flooding the UK. Michelin says that retread tyres are the way forward, find out why...

Mike Capaldi, of Driving the Electric Revolution Industrial Centres (DER-IC) spoke to us about Power Electronics Machines and Drives being central to the UK's proposed green energy growth.

We reflect a little on some of the thoughts shared at Make UK's annual conference that took place this week.

And while we've been told by cyber experts that phishing emails are getting more believable, our editorial team have received some from the likes of Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett, John Terry and Barack Obama in recent days...

Loads more for your eager ears in this episode, listener.

We hear about Joe's trip to Paris to visit Exotec, a company that has just released the next generation of its Skypod system.

Take a sneaky listen to part of an interview that we're running as our lead feature in the Q1 issue of The Manufacturer Magazine. It's with Charlie Kingsley, Corporate Sustainability Manager for Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I.

We also welcome Andrew Frankland from ForestNation back on the podcast. ForestNation will once again be our sustainability partners for Smart Manufacturing Week. Hear how their work is changing the gift giving industry and educating communities in re-forestation. In our 'Made by a Moron' segment; queues as big as theme park rides at airports, and ineffective termite repellent.

Music credit:

Tropical Fever by LiQWYD & Luke BergsCity Life by Artificial.MusicCastle In The Sky by Luke Bergs

Tech Corporate by Mixaund

Dear lord, listener. We cover some serious ground in this bumper episode.

We're delighted to welcome new podcast sponsors Kingspan Insulation along as sponsors for this Sustainability series. Keep an ear for more from them.

In this episode, Kingsland Drinks talk us through making their bulk wine and spirits packing, bottling and distribution process as sustainable as possible.

Also hear from another manufacturer within the aerospace sector discuss their sustainability attempts. What does President Trump's ambivalence towards green agendas mean for ADS Group?

We've also got reviews of our recent trips to Stannah and Wrightbus.

As if all that wasn't enough, find out what happens when you ask Chat GPT to predict the winners for this weekend's Dublin Racing Festival.

And are tights in need of an upgrade?