UK businesses are pivoting and seeking growth opportunities in new markets as they seek ways of overcoming the Covid-19 crisis, and it is clear that maintenance technologies and strategies, asset management, automation and digitalisation solutions, can no longer be regarded as ‘nice to have’, they will be central to many firms’ survival. Many of these technologies and solutions will be on show at Plant & Asset Management Exhibition and the co-location of events in January.

During these unsettling times, it is easy to forget what we do best, and only if we continue to be outward looking to reflect the world-class innovation and manufacturing skills we possess, will the UK cope with the challenges post-Covid-19 and take advantage of the new opportunities.

Therefore it is vital that businesses still plan to invest in their maintenance strategies during the recovery and beyond, especially with the advance of digitalisation. Continuing to be forward thinking is key by investing in effective processes, condition monitoring controls and skilled engineers, plant efficiency can be significantly enhanced through preventing shutdowns and the possibility of expensive downtime.

As industry begins to recover from this extremely difficult period, we should remain optimistic about our future prospects. UK manufacturing can flourish if we look beyond our normal comfort zones and use the technologies and strategies that exist to help us identify these new opportunities.

Aaron Blutstein, Editor