Last Thursday industry professionals from across the country gathered at Verizon’s slick London Hub in at MidCity Place, Holborn, for a Changemaker Moments event on Manufacturing. Hosted by Unloc, our Unloc Changemaker Alliance Members Verizon Business and Juniper Networks, and The Manufacturer – the event welcomed delegates from 25 manufacturing leaders, 25 young people, and members from all three organisations. Together they engaged with panels, explored emerging AI, IoT and robotics, networked, and even enjoyed a speed-mentoring session.

The Manufacturer’s 2024 research revealed that the biggest challenge facing the industry today is Leadership, People, and Skills, with 24% of manufacturing leaders saying this is the most pressing issue. What the research discovered is that that culture and skills are at the root of this. 


The question posed to delegates was ‘How do we do this? How do we rebrand the industry while attracting the talent that will help us do just that?’

This opened the way for much debate and sharing of experiences and thoughts on the current state of the industry, as well as where it’s headed in the coming future. Where are organisations seeing themselves headed – and how do they intend to get there?

During the event the delegates experienced:

The event was buzzing with energy and enthusiasm as business leaders got to hear directly from young people themselves, hear their ideas, their experiences, and where they see themselves posited within the industry.

It was also a great opportunity for business leaders to get to know one another, network and see where their organisations and ambitions align in the industry.

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