SME manufacturers from Cumbria using digital tools and technology to transform their businesses will share their inspiring stories at a free-to-access online summit.

The virtual conference, Made Smarter: The journey to digital manufacturing, on March 10, will show manufacturers how to leverage and fast-track digital technology and tools for a year of recovery, growth and resilience.

The Cumbria Clock Company, a clock repair and restoration specialist based in Penrith, will talk about how it is introducing a bespoke digital management system to give the business complete oversight over its operation, increasing productivity and efficiency, cutting costs and reducing its carbon footprint.

Contactless Check Solutions, a Maryport fire door manufacturer, will discuss its journey to develop an industry-first solution to make safety inspections faster and more accurate.

Meanwhile, Storth, an agricultural machine manufacturer based in Holme, will share how it was able to use robotics to continue operating whilst welders were self-isolating at the height of the pandemic.

Other, SME manufacturers sharing real-life stories of their experience of Made Smarter’s North West Adoption programme include: Fabricon

Design, Arden Dies, Bindatex, Crystal Doors, Starlight Bedrooms, Beverston Engineering, and DA Techs, alongside Envirosystems, Bloom-in-Box, Brainboxes, Parity Medical, Twin Fix, and Plastic Card Services.

Curated by manufacturers for manufacturers, the conference also features a line-up of industry heavyweights such as Juergen Maier, Chair of the Digital Catapult and co-Chair of the Made Smarter Commission; and Stephen Phipson, the Chief Executive of Make UK, the manufacturers' organisation; Andrea Hough, Managing Director of ATEC Engineering Solutions; and Glyn Jones, Service Delivery Director at BAE Systems and Chair of the Made Smarter Pilot Steering Group, who will showcase the 'why?', 'what?' and 'how?' of digital manufacturing.