Made Smarter empowers 20 new digital leaders to deliver smarter manufacturing

06 February, 2025

Graduates of the Made Smarter Leading Digital Transformation programme with Brian Holliday (co-chair of the Made Smarter Commission) and Lily Newman (Morgan James Consulting)

The Leading Digital Transformation (LDT) programme, part of Made Smarter North West Adoption - a government-funded industry-led initiative - focuses on equipping SME manufacturers with the strategies and skills to adopt cutting-edge digital technologies.

Participants hail from manufacturing SMEs that produce aerospace components, cakes, dies, play equipment, and mudguards. They span the spectrum of the workforce, from owners and managers to design and production operatives.

The funded programme is delivered over three months with Manchester Metropolitan University, blending face-to-face workshops, online webinars, case studies to see technology in action, and a site visit to PrintCity, Manchester Met’s 3D additive and digital manufacturing centre.

The latest graduates represent a wide range of industries, from aerospace and precision engineering to food manufacturing and bespoke metalwork. They include:

• Aerospace and engineering: Silcoms (Bolton), Velden Engineering (Bolton)

• Food & Beverage: Bakes By Gina (Whitehaven), Bubble Panda (Manchester), Firstplay Dietary Foods (Stockport),

• Metalwork: C&C Baseline Architectural (Wigan), XL Engineering (Sandbach)

• Other Specialities: Fireproof Fire Engineering (Oldham), Prismo Global (Chorley); Gaffey Technical Services (Accrington); Arden Dies (Stockport); Massey and Harris (Stockport); Bartell Cottage Furnishings (Newton Heath), JonesCo (Preston), Halite Salts (Manchester).

Gina Goulding, Owner of Bakes By Gina, a manufacturer of homemade artisan cakes, said: “My business has been on an incredible growth journey, which meant I never had time to reflect on where we are. The leadership programme gave me precious headspace with like-minded individuals and gave me skills to empower my staff to take the reins.”

Adam Smith, Project Co-ordinator at C&C Baseline Architectural, a manufacturer of bespoke architectural metalwork solutions, said: “This programme has reinforced the importance of keeping up with technology to not fall behind in the industry and lose our competitive edge. It also gave me new tools to help plan and manage projects as part of a broader strategy. It has given me huge confidence in tackling change and how to articulate the benefits of bringing in new technology and processes.”

Brian Holliday, Co-Chair of the Made Smarter Commission and MD of Siemens Digital Industries, attended the LDT showcase event at Engine Rooms at Birchwood Park, Warrington.

He said: “It was an absolute privilege to meet this latest group of creators and makers to complete our trailblazing Leading Digital Transformation programme and to listen to their inspirational stories. While these businesses operate in vastly different sectors, there is a consistency in the way they recognise the importance of people, process, strategy and adoption of technology.”

Since it was launched in 2023, the LDT programme has transformed 54 delegates into digitally-informed, empowered leaders armed with a bespoke digitalisation strategy. This is in addition to the 62 business leaders equipped with new digital skills through Made Smarter’s trailblazing leadership initiative run between 2019 and 2023.