Category: Features
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Engineering has shifted, but women continue to face narrow gates. Representation in engineering and manufacturing has improved over the past decade, yet frontline technical roles remain stubbornly male. As International Women’s Day approaches, the sector faces a practical question: how to turn gradual progress into a genuinely broader industrial workforce.
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CISA has published fresh guidance on securing OT communications today. Richard Groome at e2e-assure says many sites cannot retrofit crypto safely, so operators will need stronger assurance, monitoring, and layered controls while secure-by-design comms remain a procurement decision
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NCSC has urged UK CNI operators to plan for escalation. The warning follows coordinated attacks on Polish energy infrastructure, and comes as the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill progresses through Parliament.
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UK MPs are tightening cyber rules for critical digital suppliers. The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill would expand the NIS regime to include managed service providers and data centres, while shortening incident reporting timelines. Industry voices warn that many providers still lack the monitoring and customer-impact visibility needed to comply.
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AvantiGas has strengthened breathing air compliance at Suffolk refurbishment site. The LPG vessel refurbishment facility installed an Atlas Copco BAP+ purifier to stabilise air quality in its shot blast booth, delivering repeatable compliance with BS EN 12021 and improving assurance for operators wearing air-fed helmets.
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New global guidance reins in AI across operational technology deployments. e2e-assure warns that attackers are already exploiting AI while OT security controls lag behind official advice.
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Industry leaders say Budget piles costs onto already stretched SMEs. Construction, manufacturing, food, and logistics see selective gains on apprenticeships and EV fleets, but warn that tax freezes, salary-sacrifice changes, and patchy incentives on automation and net zero will do little to unlock long-term investment.
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UK manufacturers approach the Autumn Budget with thin patience left. With order books weak, energy costs high, and investment delayed, industrial leaders are demanding cheaper power, stable tax rules, and real skills funding rather than another round of stealth measures on productive capital and payroll.
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Industrial digitalisation enters 2026 with harder expectations for discipline. As automation, AI, and connected infrastructure embed themselves across factories, warehouses, and utilities, the question is no longer how fast businesses can scale technology, but whether those systems can operate coherently, safely, and with measurable advantage.
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Copper prices are testing record highs as the world races to electrify. The metal that underpins renewable power, grids, and electric vehicles is also the one in shortest supply — exposing a fundamental contradiction at the heart of the energy transition.
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