Industry Online Meet-Up with Airedale Springs, Shout & MPS (Brown & Holmes)

Join our Industry 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!

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

• Mark Hyde, Managing Director at MPS (a joint venture between Brown & Holmes and Jergens Inc.)
  Scaling Smarter: What a JV Can Unlock for British Industry (Growth Strategies)                                             

What happens when two engineering businesses—one British, one American—come together to solve a shared challenge? For Mark Hyde, it meant building something entirely new. In this short talk, Mark shares how the joint venture between Brown & Holmes and Jergens Inc. was born from a mutual need to scale smarter, blending bespoke engineering with off-the-shelf innovation.

He’ll unpack the practicalities of setting up MPS as Jergens Inc.’s European manufacturing hub—from cultural differences and operational hurdles to surprising market wins. Expect candid insights on navigating red tape, aligning teams across borders, and the power of patience when pushing through complexity.

Whether you're curious about JVs, expanding into Europe, or growing through partnership, Mark’s talk offers a valuable look behind the scenes of an ambitious and timely collaboration

• Tim Parkinson, Chairman at Airedale Springs
  How Energy Resilience Can Drive Manufacturing Success (Sustainable Manufacturing)

Join Tim Parkinson, Chairman of Airedale Springs, to explore how energy resilience can strengthen manufacturing operations. With rising energy costs and increasing sustainability demands, securing long-term efficiency and stability is more critical than ever.
Tim will share Airedale Springs’ journey—from rebuilding after a devastating fire to creating an award-winning, energy-efficient facility powered by solar and battery storage. Learn how strategic investments in on-site energy generation have reduced costs, improved reliability, and positioned the company for future success.
Gain practical insights into overcoming implementation challenges, selecting the right solutions, and building a more resilient manufacturing operation. Whether you're looking to cut costs or enhance sustainability, this session will provide valuable lessons from a leader in energy-smart manufacturing.

• Lia Maragkou, Clinical Supervisor, Shout (Mental Health Innovations)
  Championing Mental Health to Build Resilience and Reduce Absenteeism

Mental ill health is the leading cause of long-term sickness absence in manufacturing—yet 90% of manufacturers with a defined mental health strategy report improved productivity and stronger staff engagement. In partnership with Shout, the UK’s 24/7 confidential text support service, the Made in Group is working to equip manufacturers with the tools to better support their teams.

In this session, Lia Maragkou—Clinical Supervisor at Shout and a highly experienced counselling psychologist—draws on her frontline insight supporting volunteers who speak with people in crisis every day. With over 15 years’ experience spanning clinical practice, education, and workplace wellbeing, Lia will explore the most common mental health challenges faced by employees—like financial anxiety, stress, and isolation—and how these impact attendance, morale, and performance.

She’ll also offer practical steps for employers, including training, peer support models, and creating a culture where mental health is openly addressed. This session is a call to action for manufacturing leaders to engage with the Shout x MADE collaboration and invest in resilient, mentally healthy workplaces.

• Future Factories: What Does Progress Look Like in the Factory of the Future?

We’ve all heard the buzzwords—Industry 4.0, AI, automation, digital manufacturing—but beyond the headlines and hype, what does progress really look like inside the UK’s factories? This discussion will focus on the real changes manufacturers have made over the past 12–18 months that are actually delivering results. Whether it’s investing in new technology, adopting smarter processes, or rethinking how teams work, we’ll explore what’s genuinely moving the needle. We’ll also touch on what’s proving harder to justify or implement, and share some of the common pitfalls that businesses have faced along the way. The goal is to leave attendees with a clearer sense of where they stand compared to others—and a few practical ideas they can explore and apply within their own operations.

Agenda: 

9:00am - Member attendees join 
9:02am - Official welcome and event start 
9:02am-9:10am - Community updates and announcements 
9:10am-9:38am - Best practice talks from Made Community speakers 1, 2 & 3 on subtopics such as people & skills, growth strategies, smart factories, or sustainability themes ( each talk is 5-7 mins )
9:40am - Member Virtual Roundtable Sessions on the member selected subtopic (members to choose their session via Made Platform events page )
10:10am - Return to the main room for final remarks and goodbyes