Retention and attraction of talent, research into robotics and digital technology in manufacturing were among areas addressed by businesses and educators at the 2026 East Midlands Manufacturing and Trade Conference at Loughborough University on 24th March.
Delivered in partnership with Loughborough University and Leicester College and sponsored by Flogas, talks, interactive workshops and panel discussions sought to unlock growth opportunities and overcome challenges within manufacturing and international trade.
East Midlands Chamber Head of International Trade Lucy Granger gave a talk on how exporters can seize opportunities to achieve growth. Afterwards she said: “The regulatory landscape for export of goods is constantly changing so it’s essential that businesses are equipped with up-to-date information so they can benefit fully from exploration of foreign markets. While tariffs, paperwork and associated costs can seem daunting or burdensome, they should never be a barrier and that’s what the Chamber’s International Trade team can support.
“The East Midlands, as a region known for making, creating and innovating should never be held back from achieving its export goals. Being able to share some of the ways firms can effectively navigate obstacles in the road and for businesses to share their experiences of international trade is what makes conferences like this so important.
“I would urge businesses in the East Midlands keen to further their to export journey or unsure of the best way forward to reach out to the Chamber’s International Trade team who stand ready to advise and support.”
Loughborough University Professor of Transdisciplinary Design Engineering, Associate Director of the Intelligent Automation Centre Prof Mey Goh delivered a workshop looking at Digital Twin technology. Afterwards she said: “In our research, we always engage with industry partners because it’s about working together, having industry experiences and challenges informing our research, making sure our research has an impact and delivers impact to make manufacturing more productive, more sustainable, more people centric.
“In my work, I’ve always engaged with industry throughout because ultimately it needs to deliver impact to the manufacturing companies that are going to be using our research outputs, our ideas, our methods and tools.
“There are many, many challenges manufacturing companies are facing. In research, we work on some of those challenges. For me, it’s having the dialogue between educators and companies to work out what the challenges are and share the research we’re doing as that can help industry in overcoming challenges.
“My research is focused around having a human-centred perspective or human-centred design approach to overcoming technology or digitalisation challenges in manufacturing, making sure we don’t run away with the technology before understanding the real impact and the requirements of the people who will use the technology on a daily basis.”
Leicester College Principal and CEO Shabir Ismail took part in a panel discussion on attracting and retaining talent to join the manufacturing sector. Afterwards he said: “Skills are so fundamentally important that they are in our mission. Our very first two words at the College are: developing skills. It is really important to be able to connect that to businesses, for every young person and for adults who are re-skilling as that is vital to get economic growth within the local region and nationally.
“We need to have more of an ecosystem where educational providers work with businesses and employers to try and get pathways going. That’s where we need to unlock barriers and career opportunities from a young age.”
Cosy Direct Global Sales and Marketing Manager Chris Ratcliffe gave a talk sharing insight on the how the business has grown its export trade. Speaking afterwards he said: “Having a good story to tell is important. If you’ve got the right product and the right team, having values like we have at Cosy Direct – the social value side of things – makes a very powerful story you can tell around the world.
“Having the right team behind you, making sure you’re focused and you’re seeing every opportunity and you’re going for it is what matters. We have been lucky by having picked the opportunities to go for rather than hunting for them. It’s not about challenges; it’s about opportunities and having fun when you’re doing it.”
Make UK Region Director Chris Corkan shared insight on overcoming challenges like filling vacancies in manufacturing and reducing the average age of the workforce, currently at 52. Afterwards he said: “The challenge is finding skilled staff. It’s always been a big problem in manufacturing and is becoming more important. We need people uptrained and upskilled, thinking about new products for net zero and adopting digital technology. We need people to integrate and implement those things in our factories. That means we need to fix the skill system, develop to the needs of employers but also help providers and colleges have the tools they need to deliver that for local employers.
“We’ve got to think about vocational and technical skills. We need more role models to demonstrate that and we’re seeing a real change in younger people making that conclusion themselves. We’ve got a real opportunity now via devolution for the combined authorities to help matchmake between the education provision network and what employers need.”
East Midlands Airport Head of Corporate Affairs Ioan Reed-Aspley took part in a panel discussion on export opportunities. Speaking afterwards he said: “The manufacturing sector is such a key part of the Midlands economy and East Midlands Airport is a facilitator of so much trade that comes to the Midlands. Over 50% of all the goods exported through East Midlands Airport are made in the Midlands so the role of the airport in supporting that is absolutely critical.
“The airport is second only to Heathrow in terms of the total volume of goods that fly in and out of this country and it’s the home to the largest express air freight operation so it really benefits businesses that need to get their goods to markets around the world very quickly.
“There are businesses in this region that need to appreciate what assets they have on their doorstep and being located close by to the airport gives them access to markets all around the world through the integrated network of big businesses like DHL, UPS, FedEx and others. The airport can connect businesses to 180 of the world’s largest cities within one stop so the global reach in this region gives businesses a real competitive advantage.”
Digital Planning Co-founder and Director James Ferraby took part in a panel discussion on productivity, attracting and retaining talent. Afterwards he said: “My main message was that AI is a compound game. If you aren’t looking at it now, you need to be because people are going to be accelerating away from you.
“My advice to businesses is to find a partner that is a specialist in AI because they can handhold you and help avoid some massive pitfalls. Don’t rely on people that try and take AI on internally. Your internal staff will need to be motivated, though, with a culture that is open to change and innovation. Getting your first AI workflows in is relatively low cost and will give massive compound return on investment. Find someone that can help handhold you and you’ll be hooked.”
ER Recruitment Recruitment Operations Manager Sarah Knight took part in a panel discussion on skills and retention of talent. Afterwards she said: “Today’s discussion really reinforced what we see every day at ER Recruitment – that success comes from potential as much as experience. When education and industry work closely together and employers focus on developing people rather than waiting for the ‘perfect’ candidate, that’s when we start to close skills gaps and create a workforce that’s truly future-ready.”
British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Deputy Director of Trade Service Mitchell Perks took part in a panel discussion on export opportunities and shared detail of the Trade Accelerator programme delivered by the BCC. Afterwards he said: “Businesses are finding the complexity around international trade difficult but the Chamber network can support businesses to get into new markets. The British Chambers of Commerce have a Trade Accelerator launch at the end of this year into Singapore and has recently launched Diplomatic Advisory Hub, providing additional platforms for businesses to get information about new markets and for trading globally.
“Giving more routes to new markets and demystifying the complexity around international trade is important so that businesses feel more at ease. We explain the compliance around it, give advice and we source into the market.”
Speakers, Panelists and Workshop Leads at the 2026 East Midlands Manufacturing & Trade Conference:
- Dr Cham Kang – President, East Midlands Chamber
- Richard Blackmore – Director of Policy and Insight, East Midlands Chamber
- Lucy Granger – Head of International Trade, East Midlands Chamber
- Prof Nick Jennings – Vice Chancellor and President, Loughborough University
- Chris Corkan – Region Director, Make UK
- Chris Ratcliffe – Sales and Marketing Director, Cosy Direct
- Ioan Reed-Aspley – Head of Corporate Affairs, East Midlands Airport
- Hollie Coxon – International Freight Forwarder, Nationwide Courier Service
- Mitchell Perks – Deputy Director of Trade Services, British Chambers of Commerce
- Rachel Hall – Director of Apprenticeships, Leicester College
- Ian Mallabone – Global HR and Training Director, Nylacast Holdings
- Prof Mey Goh – Professor of Transdisciplinary Design Engineering, Associate Director of the Intelligent Automation Centre, Loughborough University
- Alistair Wilson – CEO, flowmondo
- Jaz Aujla – Strategic Energy Partner, DCC Energy
- Prof Peter Kinnell – Director of Loughborough Intelligent Automation Centre, High Value Manufacturing Lead
- Lee Noble – Co-chair, East Midlands Regional Defence and Security Cluster
- Andrew Storer – CEO and Founder of NucCol (Nuclear Collaboration)
- Prof James Flint – Associate Dean, Education and Student Experience, Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering
- Shabir Ismail – Principal and CEO, Leicester College
- James Ferraby – Director, Digital Planning
- Sarah Knight – Recruitment Operations Manager, ER Recruitment
- Dr Jeannie Holstein – Senior Lecturer in Strategy and Innovation, Loughborough University
