Key Takeaways from the Smart Factory Expo
This year’s Smart Factory Expo in Birmingham felt like a turning point. The event was busy, energetic, and packed with ideas, but beneath the noise, a more focused conversation is beginning to take shape in manufacturing. This new undertow, if you like, is less about hype and more about how real transformation is achieved on the ground.
What stood out most to us this year wasn’t a single trend or new buzzword, it was the seemingly collective shift in mindset. Manufacturers, solution providers, consultants, and even academics seemed to grapple with the same question: How do we connect everything and make it actually work?
Scheduling, labor & the visibility gap
For all the discussion about smart factories, many manufacturers are still grappling with the fundamentals, particularly regarding scheduling. It’s no longer merely about optimizing machines; it involves considering labor, material flow, and shop-floor unpredictability in real time. There was also a clear demand for improved visibility, but not solely from IoT sensors or dashboards. Attendees posed challenging questions about how to present the right information for operators, enforce quality steps, and keep human workers aligned with automated systems.
It’s clear that labor remains a critical blind spot in many factory tech stacks, and attendees were actively looking for solutions that help close that gap.
From point solutions to connected operations
One of the more refreshing themes at this year’s show was the growing recognition that integration matters. Conversations repeatedly circled back to how fragmented tools, disconnected planning and execution systems, and isolated pilot projects are holding back progress.
There was a strong appetite for holistic, end-to-end thinking, how planning ties into scheduling, how scheduling responds to execution data, and how that loop drives agility.
Interestingly, this thinking wasn’t limited to manufacturers. Several tech startups and consultants came to the event specifically to understand how these layers come together, suggesting that the market is maturing, not just expanding.
The AI conversation is evolving
AI wasn’t absent from the expo, but the tone has changed. Rather than promises of overnight transformation, there was growing realism around what AI can and can’t do.
Most of the conversations we heard pointed to a simple truth: without good data, AI doesn’t help much. Manufacturers increasingly understand that foundational digitization, clean data, trusted systems, reliable processes, and integrated platforms must come first. The focus is shifting from proof-of-concept to practical applicability.
This shift was echoed in how people engaged in conversation around technology claims like irrefutable data (i.e., blockchain), AI, or digital twins. The interest is very much still there, but so is healthy skepticism, or realism if you like. Visitors wanted to know: Is this real? Is it useful? Do I need it? Can I implement it without three years of consulting?
The Mood: More mature, more curious, still a bit fragmented
Compared to some more curated events like the Gartner Supply Chain Xpo, the Smart Factory Expo had a broader, more eclectic feel. It brought together manufacturers, students, consultants, and startups, which led to a mix of high-value conversations and casual curiosity.
But that diversity also added something unique: an openness to explore new ideas without the hard-sell atmosphere. Visitors weren’t just there to browse; they came to challenge assumptions, compare approaches, and piece together what “smart factory” really means in practice.
Final thoughts: From hype to hard questions
The soul of this year’s Smart Factory Expo wasn’t about the latest acronym. It was about moving past isolated innovation and toward connected, adaptable operations.
Manufacturers are no longer asking what technologies can do; they’re asking how to make them work together, across departments, systems, factories, and even entire supply chains.
And that feels like progress.