Smart Manufacturing Week (SMW) is expanding in 2027 with a new US edition in Detroit and a ‘Factory of the Future’ exhibit at its flagship UK event.
The developments expand the event’s focus on digital transformation, sustainability and workforce development for engineering and production professionals. The organisers aim to demonstrate how integrated industrial technologies can be applied in production environments across the UK and North American markets.
For UK manufacturers, the Factory of the Future feature is designed to demonstrate how different technologies can be integrated to support connected and resilient operations. Event Director Stuart Dacre said the feature is intended to demonstrate what can be achieved when technology and people are connected across a production environment.
Designing a connected production environment
A major addition to the NEC Birmingham event is the ‘Factory of the Future’, developed in partnership with the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) and the University of Belfast. The large-scale installation is designed to demonstrate the integration of technologies used in smart production systems.
Rather than presenting isolated products, the installation will show a modular manufacturing environment in which automated systems, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twin technology operate together in real time.
The focus is on connecting operational technology (OT) on the shop floor with information technology (IT) at the enterprise level, an integration challenge for companies adopting advanced manufacturing automation.
The exhibit will integrate several technologies and capabilities, including digital manufacturing processes, advanced automation, cybersecurity protocols, and connected supply chain solutions. AMIC will use architecture from its Virtual Factory project to demonstrate a data-driven connected supply chain. The demonstration is intended to show how data analytics can support a shift from reactive troubleshooting towards more data-driven operations.
Integrating data flows for operational resilience
The installation will include several features designed to demonstrate how these systems operate together. These include robotics and cobots operating alongside automated guided vehicles (AGVs), combined with machine vision for quality inspection and metrology.
An industrial network will support edge computing, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, with real-time key performance indicator (KPI) displays. The integration is intended to demonstrate how connected systems can support industrial operations, with applications including predictive maintenance and energy monitoring that can support sustainability objectives.
Additive manufacturing at Smart Manufacturing Week 2027
Reflecting the wider use of additive manufacturing beyond prototyping, Smart Manufacturing Week UK 2027 introduces a dedicated ‘3D Printing + Additive Manufacturing Zone.’ This new area, part of the co-located Design + Engineering Expo, is intended to serve manufacturers at every stage of adoption, from initial exploration to scaling established capabilities.
Additive manufacturing can offer benefits including shorter production times, reduced material waste, and greater supply-chain flexibility. The zone is designed to place products and solutions in front of a wide audience of engineers, production managers, and decision-makers who might not typically attend specialised 3D printing events.
Visitors will find live hardware demonstrations, featuring industrial 3D printers, advanced materials spanning polymers to metals, and necessary post-processing solutions from exhibitors such as Photocentric, Matsuura and Mark 3D. The zone will also feature case studies from companies using additive manufacturing in production environments. The focus reflects the growing use of additive manufacturing in production applications.
Support for manufacturing SMEs
Another strategic addition addressing the core industrial base is the introduction of the ‘SME Village’. Small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) account for a substantial share of the UK manufacturing sector but may face challenges accessing support for technology adoption, workforce development and business growth.
The SME Village is designed as a central hub for these businesses to connect with peers and access advice and connect with relevant solution providers. The feature is intended to provide a dedicated space for SMEs to discuss productivity and leadership challenges.
The Village will feature practical content, guidance on funding and skills development, and even a dedicated start-up area, providing space for early-stage businesses serving the manufacturing sector. The feature focuses on issues affecting SME productivity, resilience and competitiveness within UK manufacturing.
Addressing the manufacturing and engineering skills pipeline
The UK manufacturing and engineering sectors continue to face skills shortages. Smart Manufacturing Week will address the issue through features aimed at engaging younger audiences and by consciously challenging outdated perceptions of modern industry.
Returning for 2027 is ‘Fight Fest,’ a competitive element aligned with automation and robotics, held within the Drives + Controls section. This B2B robot fighting competition, powered by Accu, stages 1v1 combat robotics tournaments inside a purpose-built arena.
The competition will involve teams maintaining and repairing custom-built machines in an open pit area, linking the competition to Maintec’s focus on maintenance and reliability.
The event also features an expanded STEM Programme—Manufacturers of the Future—dedicated to students and apprentices. By showcasing the design, control, and ingenuity required for advanced engineering in a practical format, FFight Fest is intended to introduce younger audiences to engineering and robotics and encourage interest in related careers.
SmART Gallery to showcase manufacturing and engineering
The new ‘SmART Gallery’ is another feature aimed at changing perceptions of manufacturing, established through a partnership with Make UK’s 2026 Photography Competition. The gallery will feature winning entries across categories like ‘The People Who Make It Possible’ and ‘The Future of Industry.’
This exhibit aims to showcase the intersection of manufacturing, engineering, technology, and creativity. The gallery will bring together a collection of contemporary manufacturing photography. The SmART Gallery aims to highlight the people and processes involved in manufacturing.
It highlights the innovative, skilled, and creative processes that underpin everyday life, aiming to challenge perceptions of manufacturing as an outdated or predominantly manual sector.
Smart Manufacturing Week expands to North America
A major expansion for the Nineteen Group event portfolio is the launch of Smart Manufacturing Week US, announced on 15 September 2026. Scheduled for 19–22 April 2027 at Huntington Place in Detroit, Michigan, the event marks the group’s expansion into the North American manufacturing market.
The US version is specifically tailored to unite decision-makers, technologies, and strategies shaping American manufacturing, with a clear focus on digital transformation, reliability, production efficiency, and operations management. The expansion is led by Mary Larkin, President, Nineteen Group Americas, reflecting the group’s intention to develop an event tailored to the North American market.
Detroit provides a location close to major automotive, defence and advanced manufacturing clusters. The US event will feature co-located events, including a dedicated Smart Factory Expo and Maintec, establishing a comprehensive industrial portfolio from day one.
The expansion comes as manufacturers in the US continue to announce investments in domestic production, which require platforms focused on operational excellence and digital integration.
Strategic focus on North American industrial priorities
The North American manufacturing sector is seeing increased investment in domestic production amid changes in industrial policy and supply chains. The Detroit event will focus on challenges associated with scaling digital technologies across the manufacturing sector, which includes integrating legacy systems and training a new workforce for connected environments.
The focus on Smart Factory Expo and Maintec highlights the immediate priorities: implementing industrial IoT and automation and ensuring the reliability and maintenance of complex production assets. The Detroit event will focus on challenges associated with scaling digital technologies across the manufacturing sector. The organisers are positioning the Detroit event as a platform for manufacturers addressing these issues
Potential relevance for industrial development in Africa
Although Smart Manufacturing Week 2027 focuses on the UK and North American markets, its themes around digital integration and skills development may also be relevant to manufacturers in African markets. African manufacturing markets vary considerably in their levels of industrialisation, with some economies expanding into sectors that require greater process control and automation.
The ‘Factory of the Future’ concept could provide an example of how integrated IT/OT systems and data-driven supply chains can be demonstrated in a production environment. Manufacturers in markets such as South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt may face infrastructure, skills and technology-adoption challenges, although conditions vary between countries and industries.
The systems demonstrated through AMIC’s Virtual Factory architecture could provide examples for engineers considering approaches to connected industrial systems.
The event’s focus on engineering skills also has potential relevance to workforce-development discussions in African manufacturing. Approaches such as exposing young people to technical careers and providing targeted support for small manufacturers may also be relevant to workforce and industrial-development programmes in African markets.
