Five top trends for UK manufacturers
As 2026 approaches, UK manufacturers have an opportunity to review both their internal processes and the wider market landscape to pinpoint areas where they can strengthen their competitive edge and fuel growth in the year ahead.
The story for 2025 was one of emerging technologies, such as digital twins and generative AI, becoming increasingly common. While these trends will continue in 2026 with a more strategic approach, the big stories for the new year will see manufacturers investing in cybersecurity, meeting growing customer expectations and reinforcing their full supply chain. 
To prepare for the year ahead, we explore five key trends for manufacturers, featuring insights from David White, Operations Manager at GTK UK Limited, specialist in custom cable assemblies.
Shipping chain diversification protects manufacturers
In recent years, manufacturers around the world have felt the supply chain squeeze, with external pressures, worldwide conflicts and more impacting some businesses’ ability to meet deadlines.
Last year, a study found that over half of UK manufacturers were choosing to ‘reshore’ their manufacturing, returning production functions to home shores and eliminating the risk of international factors blocking logistics routes.
In the coming year, expect this trend to continue, albeit with a more moderate approach. Rather than bringing 100 percent of production back to the UK, expect to see manufacturers spread production across multiple sites and countries, with each factory site optimized to manufacture different products or accommodate various order volumes.
David comments: “At GTK, we split production duties between the UK, Romania and the Far East, which has helped us stay agile and meet customer demands, even when traditional shipping lanes might’ve been compromised.”
Recent cyberattacks drive investment in security
In September 2025, UK car production hit a 70-year low after a high-profile attack on Jaguar Land Rover forced production lines to be fully shut down, costing an estimated £50m every week.
With attacks in other sectors affecting companies like M&S and Asahi, large-scale cyber hacks are becoming increasingly common. This is a particular concern for manufacturers, given how many are in the process of digitalizing.
David says: “The fact that many companies still use legacy operational technology (OT) for business-critical functions is a worry. This type of technology is crucial for operations but often lacks the security of newer systems. Businesses should be looking to invest in more advanced and secure OT and IT systems.”
Strategic AI adoption
AI adoption isn’t necessarily new, with generative AI applied in some areas of most UK manufacturing facilities over the last couple of years. However, you can expect to see a more strategic approach to AI adoption in a manufacturing context for 2026.
Top decision-makers no longer see AI as an ‘experiment’. In fact, 82 percent view AI as a core driver of growth and are applying it everywhere, from predicting maintenance cycles on the factory floor to carrying out risk assessments of suppliers.
Integrated customer insights become more popular than ever
Integrated customer insights become more popular than ever Customer requirements have become increasingly specialized over the last decade, driven by the growth of e-commerce, which has meant ever-evolving expectations in terms of lead times and customization. In 2026, this is set to continue, as AI makes it easier than ever to integrate the customer into the product lifecycle.
Both B2B and B2C manufacturers are already benefitting from sharing real-time insights with their customers, using digital tools to share real-time manufacturing data. This is likely to become increasingly prevalent in 2026, with customers expecting real-time updates on parts and component availability, to replace estimated lead time windows.
These tools will help manufacturers drive value and involve customers as early as the product design process. Manufacturers who provide more visibility than their competitors will enjoy a competitive advantage.
Sustainability stays in focus
For manufacturing, one of the UK’s most carbon-intensive sectors, the gradual push towards sustainability is set to continue in 2026, with a particular focus on adopting renewable energy technologies. Fifty percent of manufacturers consider these to be the most important area of green technology to engage with – and the area where the trend of adoption will continue.
However, as David continues: “Sadly, barriers to green technology adoption still exist, with the cost of energy and rising tax burdens acting as blockers to manufacturing adoption. While adoption of sustainable tech will continue to grow, the government must provide a long-term solution to ensure a wider adoption.”
With the Industrial Strategy, we saw a proper acknowledgement that the government knows about, and understands, these issues. However, until we know a little more about the extent of actionable support that will be afforded to manufacturers, we won’t know exactly how much freedom the average manufacturer will have to invest in green tech.
Are you and your business making plans for 2026? Which of the key trends are you investing in to stay ahead?
David White
GTK, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volex, provides electronic solutions including custom cable assemblies, power cords, connectors and displays. It also provides custom, turnkey manufacturing solutions.
For over 30 years, GTK has provided high-quality, high-performance products that comply with the relevant industry standards. GTK is headquartered in the UK with offices in Germany and Taiwan.