2026: A Year of Transformation for Elmleigh
With 2026 finally here, the team at Elmleigh is excited for the next steps and to see what this year brings. 2025 was an important year: the manufacturing industry accelerated its adoption of AI and automation, and a year of global disruption drove major reconstruction of supply chains to reduce dependence on single suppliers. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations have become essential for long-term viability, with companies prioritising reductions in energy and waste and increasing the use of sustainable materials in production. All of this sat alongside economic and policy shifts at the start of the year.
Celebrating Simon Sliwinski
At the end of 2025, we bid farewell to our long-serving MD Simon Sliwinski and wished him all the very best for his next chapter in life. The moment was significant for Elmleigh: Simon, his father and his mother all worked diligently over many decades to shape Elmleigh into what it is today. Their commitment to providing the best possible service to customers, and for the care shown to their employees, attracted a wider 'family' of like-minded professionals around them who shared the vision to create and maintain the envied reputation Elmleigh is so well known for. It's quite a legacy! Simon, we are grateful for the time, money, effort and dedication your family invested into building this company. The door is always open to come and see how the company you helped create has developed.
Change is positive; it signals growth and movement. The industry’s shift from incremental improvements to embracing system-wide change becoming more agile, efficient, and sustainable is echoed within Elmleigh. If 2025 was a year of change, 2026 is our year of growth and momentum.
With Simon having left, the next big question for the Elmleigh team: What is next? What will this chapter bring? Who will steer the ship for Elmleigh to achieve new growth?
What’s Next for Elmleigh?
On 15 December 2025, those questions were answered with the introduction of Kevin Parsons to the company. Kevin brings an impressive legacy, with experience at companies such as MCS Control Systems, Eltek, and adi Automation. This culmination of knowledge and experience in industrial electrical and automation will help form the next steps for Elmleigh. It signals growth, movement in the market, and new challenges to overcome. Please join us in welcoming Kevin as our new General Manager.
2026 Growth
2026 has already started as a fantastic year of progression. Through the hard work of the team, Elmleigh enters the year with our largest order book to date. With multiple projects exceeding £1 million, Elmleigh is at the forefront of innovative projects. These will enable more growth of our in-house mechanical installations team and make full use of our dedicated 10,000 sqft manufacturing workshops. Such projects provide new opportunities for Elmleigh alongside our colleagues at Leadec Limited, with 2026 shaping up to be a year of innovation and progress for the team!
Review of 2025 Trends seen in Manufacturing
In 2025 we saw the rise of integrated AI and machine learning within automation processes: moving to smarter ways to maintain lines, decreasing downtime, and leveraging IoT data for predictive maintenance. Digital-Twins and Simulations were also on the rise, giving end users a visual representation of the final product and helping manufacturers model scenarios and identify errors prior to installation.
With these advances alongside the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the extension of ESG compliance, and an unstable geopolitical landscape, what is in store for 2026? What else can change?
2026 Possible Trends within Manufacturing
Our early view is that we will see advances in the technologies implemented in 2025, with deeper adoption that improves processes, reduces waste, and enhances overall production quality and capability. Here are some advances we think will occur in 2026.
AI Implementation
As AI’s strategic use grows across all industries, it is now viewed less as an experiment or parlour trick and more as a core lever for performance. Data from Xometry indicates that 82% of executives now see AI as a growth driver within their business, streamlining operations and predicting maintenance cycles for factory and floor machinery.
Digital-Twins and Simulations
Simulations have been part of manufacturing since the early 1970s. Recent advances alongside AI implementation have improved fault detection accuracy and increased process speed, making future decision-making easier and more proactive. Rather than reacting to issues, manufacturers can model scenarios and address risks upfront. Digital twins help enhance production safety, accelerate innovation, and support the longevity of processes by validating assumptions before installation.
Industry 4.0: Is It Still Worth It?
Industry 4.0 promised to boost production, provide a competitive edge, deliver higher product quality, and offer unified data across the entire facility. The question today is whether those promises still hold, especially after the spike in hacking across multiple industries in 2025. This has intensified cybersecurity concerns and highlighted the urgent need for more robust protection before further integration.
Cybersecurity
2025 reinforced the need for tight cybersecurity in manufacturing. UK manufacturers are progressing through digitalisation, but many still rely on legacy operational equipment that is critical to production yet less secure. As a result, heavy investment in more resilient I/O and IT systems may occur in 2026 to strengthen defences while preserving operational continuity.
Sustainable Manufacturing
In Make UK’s October 2025 report, 83% of manufacturers were very likely or likely to utilise green technologies within their operations over the next five years. The most common route is renewable energy, where companies often offset costs through payment plans or fund installations using savings generated by the systems themselves. Either way, manufacturers face clear expectations to meet net-zero milestones within defined timelines.
Are you ready for 2026? What key trends do you think will appear within 2026? And will you be investing within them? Let us know below!