• What do you think is the biggest issue being faced / discussed in your industry at the moment?

The decision for the UK to leave the European Union leaves a lot of questions about what the new trade and regulatory relationship with the EU will be. At the same time, the government’s initiative to implement an Industrial Strategy is a great opportunity to boost manufacturing in the UK through implementing automation and digital technologies.

• What is the biggest lesson you learned in 2016?

I think in common with many others I learned not to take received wisdom for granted. 

• What do you think the biggest challenge for the industry will be in 2017?

Taking the exciting new opportunities that are enabled by the Industrial Strategy to a market that may not be confident in investing during a period of political and regulatory uncertainty. I’m convinced that now is the time to make the investment and lead the way in global competition.

• What innovative measures should the industry adopt in the next few years to ensure market sustainability and growth?

The UK is in a great position to compete in a global market if it can embrace mass customisation with rapid design-to-delivery cycles. Being innovative with competitive business models is enabled by today’s technology.

• Why do you think events like Industry 4.0 Summit are important for the industry?

It is vital to get all of the many stakeholders from across the different aspects of Industry 4.0 networking and exploring the opportunities that it can bring to UK industry. It is such a broad and multi-faceted concept that we have to get together and start working collaboratively to achieve success.