National Online Meet-up with PP Control & Automation, Cutting Edge Laser Ltd & Made in Group

Join our National Online Meet-up!

Join us for a captivating virtual event where industry experts, thought leaders, and professionals gather to share knowledge, insights, and best practices. Our mission is to foster collaboration, inspire innovation, and drive growth within the manufacturing community.

Our industry Meet-up event series features engaging talks from renowned speakers, focusing on key themes that shape the future of manufacturing. This online event covers a wide range of headline topics, including: Future Factories, Sustainable Manufacturing, Growth Strategies, and People & Skills.

Join us for this powerful and inspiring 75-minute event that will ignite your passion and creativity!

September's lineup of speakers and Roundtable Session subtopics includes:

• Pinaki Banerjee, CEO, PP Control & Automation

The Growth Engine: How Market Focus, Operational Capacity and AI Are Powering a £100 Million Ambition (Growth Strategies)

While much of UK manufacturing is navigating difficult market conditions, PP Control & Automation is moving towards a record £40 million year as it pursues an ambitious strategy to reach £100 million by 2028.

In this session, CEO Pinaki Banerjee will share how clearer market segmentation, targeted sector growth and a shift from panel builder to strategic outsourcing partner are creating new commercial opportunities.

Drawing on practical examples, Pinaki will explore how PP is increasing operational capacity, developing its leadership team and using bespoke agentic AI to reduce work that previously took weeks to hours or days.

This session will provide manufacturing leaders with practical insight into connecting market focus, people, operations and technology to create scalable growth - even when the wider economy is slowing.

• Andrew Millington, Managing Director, Cutting Edge Laser

From Owner-Led to Employee-Owned: Building a Sustainable Succession Strategy (People & Skills)

For manufacturing business owners, succession is about more than securing the best sale price. It is also about protecting the company’s legacy, retaining skilled jobs and ensuring the business can thrive without its original owners.

Drawing on his experience of leading Cutting Edge Laser following its transition to an Employee Ownership Trust, Andrew Millington will share the practical realities of making employee ownership work.

He will explore the importance of realistic valuations, strong governance and balancing repayments to former owners with the cash needed to operate and invest.

This session will provide practical insight for business owners considering succession, as well as directors and senior leaders responsible for guiding an employee-owned business through its transition.

•  Jason Pitt, CEO, Made in Group

From Fragmented Supply-Chain Intelligence to Practical UK Industrial Advantage (Future Factories)

Supply-chain intelligence across UK manufacturing remains fragmented, making it difficult for buyers to identify credible suppliers, understand capability and spot risk, while valuable opportunities remain hidden from manufacturers.

In this session, Jason Pitt will share the thinking behind Made Sovereign and explore how supplier discovery, capability data, verification, relationship mapping and AI-assisted insight can provide a clearer, more trusted view of the UK industrial ecosystem.

Rather than treating data as a static directory, Jason will explain how it can become practical commercial intelligence: who can make what, where resilience gaps exist and which relationships are worth developing.

It will show how visibility supports reshoring, supplier development and stronger UK supply networks while keeping people, judgement and relationships at the centre.

Agenda

9:00 AM – Members join the virtual meeting
9:02 AM – Official welcome and event start
9:02–9:10 AM – Community updates and announcements
9:10–9:38 AM – Best Practice Talks from Made Community speakers (1, 2 & 3)
Topics include people & skills, growth strategies, smart factories, and sustainable manufacturing
(Each talk: 5–8 minutes)
9:40 AM – Member Virtual Roundtable Sessions
Members join their chosen session via the Made Platform events page
10:10 AM – Return to the main room for final remarks and goodbyes