Smart Manufacturing

Around the globe, manufacturing is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by rapid advances in digital technologies and an increasing focus on sustainability. This shift involves the integration of innovations such as AI, IoT and automation to streamline processes, boost efficiency, and create more agile, interconnected systems. 

To remain globally competitive, Northern Ireland’s manufacturing sector must continue to invest in productivity-enhancing technologies including automation, robotics, data and workforce upskilling, to strengthen resilience and ensure long-term sustainability. 

Manufacturing NI emphasises the need for strong government backing to accelerate digitisation. While the sector has already demonstrated its capacity to innovate, future-facing investment depends on the right policy and funding environment. 

Between 2022 and March 2025, we helped deliver over £1 million in direct digital funding through the Smart Manufacturing Data Hub (SMDH), providing local SMEs with practical tools and expertise. From September 2025, we will serve as a strategic partner in the €6.7 million E-DATA programme, delivering funded digital and decarbonisation support across Northern Ireland and the border counties. 

We maintain strategic partnerships with education and industry providers to support innovation across the sector, including AMIC, Northern Ireland’s Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre, which is due to open in 2026. 

Manufacturing NI’s work ensures manufacturers have access to the right support, funding and partnerships needed to drive innovation, embrace digital technologies and compete globally in a smarter, greener industrial landscape.