The High-Stakes Landscape for UK Manufacturing UK manufacturers in 2026 face   unprecedented challenges   on multiple fronts. Rising inflation and energy costs, higher payroll taxes,   persistent skills shortages , and flat domestic demand are squeezing margins. Confidence has dipped as firms grapple with these cumulative pressures. In fact, the UK’s manufacturing sector recently slipped from 8th to 12th in global output rankings, despite contributing over £200 billion to the

Even the most advanced environments rely on the basics Every manufacturing leader today hears the siren call of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. The potential rewards - predictive maintenance that prevents breakdowns, robots that boost productivity, analytics that streamline operations - are real and significant. In fact, some industrial pioneers have already reaped impressive gains: for example, BP’s deployment of AI for refinery optimisation improved throughput