Retrospective: Hethel Innovation at the Make UK National Manufacturing Conference 2026

On 3rd March 2026, over 700 industry leaders, innovators, and policymakers convened at the QEII Centre in Westminster for the Make UK National Manufacturing Conference — the annual flagship gathering shaping the future of UK manufacturing. As exhibitors, Hethel Innovation was proud to stand alongside some of Britain’s most forward-thinking manufacturing organisations, engaging in conversations that reinforced both the challenges and the opportunities ahead for our sector.

This year’s agenda was rich with insights, covering innovation, sustainability, digital transformation, workforce development, and supply chain resilience. But one session in particular captured the industry’s evolving mindset: Powering Green Growth.

Lean Thinking Meets Decarbonisation: A Shift in Mindset

The session brought together Professor Steve Evans (University of Cambridge), Dr Agnes Ragondet (Hewland), Paul Bates (Carbon Trust), and Ben Morgan (Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre), and delivered a unified message: green growth is not a separate agenda — it’s the natural evolution of operational excellence.

This echoed a recurring conference theme: manufacturers must decarbonise while managing rising energy costs and remaining competitive.

A core takeaway from the session was clear: the mindset and focus you adopt directly shape the opportunities you uncover. Explicitly targeting areas for improvement leads to more tangible results.

If organisations assume sustainability will slow them or cost too much, opportunities are missed. A Lean mindset—minimising waste and improving flow—unlocks improvements that benefit both the environment and profit.

This mindset echoed our key takeaway at Hethel Innovation: success comes when businesses adapt, innovate, and grow through smarter operations, better data, and collaborative insight, actively seeking out operational opportunities. With that common purpose, we turned to another key message from the conference.

Quick Wins Still Matter — Perhaps Now More Than Ever

A major takeaway from the conference was the power of immediate, confidence-building wins. Such quick wins help organisations manage high energy costs while building momentum for further progress in challenging times.

For Hethel Innovation, this reinforces our approach: helping businesses trial improvements, validate ideas, and build capability step by step across sites. The Battery Question — and the Variability Problem.

A moment of humour highlighted the unpredictability of the next “breakthrough” in battery technology. But beneath the joke was a serious operational truth:

Before new technologies can deliver value, operational variability must be addressed.

Lack of stability is one of the biggest barriers to effective decarbonisation—a challenge every manufacturer, regardless of size, can recognise. To overcome this, continuous improvement, standardisation, and process stability must form the core practices supporting sustainable technology adoption.

A Conference Full of Realism — and Real Hope

Across keynotes, breakout sessions, and exhibitor conversations, the conference highlighted several immediate industry needs:

· A stable, long-term industrial strategy for the sector.

· Action to alleviate high industrial energy costs.

· A stronger skills pipeline and more agile training systems.

· Support for innovation, electrification, and clean technologies (reinforced in the Business Secretary’s address).

But it also showed that manufacturers are ready. They’re pragmatic, they’re innovative, and they’re determined to lead.

That’s a message we’re proud to champion at Hethel Innovation. Building on this shared vision, we look to our own evolving role supporting the sector.

Looking Ahead: Hethel Innovation’s Role

Our presence at Make UK reflects our wider commitment:

· Supporting manufacturers across Norfolk and the East of England.

· Connecting businesses with expertise, research, and partners.

· Driving forward sustainable innovation across our sites and networks.

We help organisations uncover new opportunities in operational and environmental data.