Manufacturing Consultants - making a difference
At Total Productivity Solutions, our mission is simple: to optimise and elevate food and regulated manufacturing operations across the UK to improve profitability.
Over the past year, we’ve partnered with numerous businesses across the country to redesign production layouts and deliver complex capital projects that address the unique challenges of quality focused manufacturers. Regulatory burden, skills gaps & labour shortages, rising overhead & labour costs, performance versus reliability, production consistency and lack of engineering expertise in strategic leadership; all impact on how manufacturers ensure high productivity and customer satisfaction.
TPS specialises in helping manufacturers confront exactly these challenges. Whether it’s by implementing smarter capital equipment projects, combined with maintenance and reliability strategies, closing the skills gap, or improving throughput without compromising compliance; we work hand-in-hand with manufacturers to build systems that are resilient, efficient, and future-proof.
We bring joined up thinking with solution focus to maximise manufacturing success.
Special Focus: Helping Manufacturers squeeze productivity from their business!
Between rising labour, energy and raw-material costs, regulatory pressures, and tighter consumer expectations on sustainability and quality, food manufacturers in the UK are feeling the heat. Our manufacturing consultancy helps factory leaders ensure that every machine, every shift and every staff member is pulling in the same direction, so productivity doesn’t stall or decline?
Our factory design consultants and warehouse design consultants, help manufacturers confront the challenges imposed on them by a changing World. Whether it’s by implementing smarter maintenance and reliability strategies, embracing digitalisation & AI assisted systems, closing the skills gap, or improving throughput without compromising compliance; we work hand-in-hand with food (and other) manufacturers to build systems that are resilient, efficient, and future-proof.
Beyond Factory Layouts: Total Productivity Solutions – Targeted Support & Counter Strategies
Dealing with current challenges – How we help
Challenge | Why it matters | How TPS Helps |
Cost inflation (energy, labour, materials) | Many food manufacturers report raw material and labour cost increases >10 % in 2025; energy also remains a large margin drainer. | Optimisation of energy-use via predictive analytics; implementing reliability programs to reduce waste, downtime & off-specs; helping you choose investments with fastest payback. |
Regulation, sustainability & packaging pressures | Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), carbon / emissions demands, packaging waste all add both compliance complexity and cost. | Audits & roadmap for regulatory compliance; process redesign to reduce waste; supply chain traceability solutions. |
Skills shortages & underused automation | There’s a growing disconnect between new technologies (automation, AI, digital tools) and the existing workforce’s ability to leverage them fully. Under-utilisation of talent and lack of focus on investment potential at the design stage is common. | Tailored “combined” strategies that bring training, operator support, change management and user interface; enabling ambitious improvements by bridging the gap between operations and data. |
Reliability & downtime | Unexpected breakdowns, maintenance delays, or lack of condition monitoring reduce throughput and hamper product quality. | Reliability engineering, condition monitoring, predictive maintenance; structured problem solving to improve root-cause analysis and effective elimination. |
Supply chain disruptions & inflationary uncertainty | Delays in raw material supply, volatility, and logistic issues throw off planning, and margins get squeezed. | Scenario planning; flexible sourcing strategies; digital tools for supply-chain visibility; helping you maintain buffers . to ensure critical capacity, without tying up too much working capital. |
What’s On: UK Manufacturing Tradeshows and Exhibitions for 2025 & 2026
The year ahead (2025/26) is packed with opportunities for manufacturing professionals to explore the latest innovations and connect with industry leaders. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the must-attend events:
Event | Date | Location / Region | Relevance / Key Highlights for Food / Regulated Goods Manufacturers |
FoodWorks SW Open Day 2025 | 2 October 2025 | Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset (FoodWorks SW) | Free open day at the FoodWorks SW innovation & testing facility. Includes seminars on “How to Start a Food or Drink Business” and “Food Safety in Your Food/Drink Business”, labelling & certification clinics. Great for compliance, startup or small/regional manufacturers seeking regulatory & safety guidance. In North Somerset+1 |
Innov8 South West: Cleaning Innovation & Sustainability Show 2025 | 8 October 2025 | Southwest (venue per Eventbrite) | Focus on cleaning & hygiene, sanitation, sustainable materials / processes. Key for food / regulated sectors needing to maintain high hygiene standards and meet environmental or regulatory requirements. Eventbrite |
Food Manufacturing Live 2025 | 15 October 2025 | Stoneleigh Park, CV8 2LH (UK) | UK’s only event exclusively for food/drink manufacturing, packaging & processing. New product previews, industry practice sessions, vendors for specialized food-processing equipment. Perfect for regulated goods producers looking to upgrade or find compliant suppliers. megger.com |
The Mainstream Summit 2025 | 21 October 2025 | Millenium Point, Thinktank Science Museum, B4 7AP https://www.mainstreamcommunity.com/
| The World’s Most Valued Maintenance and Reliability Community https://www.mainstreamcommunity.com/uk-summit/home
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Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2026 | 3-5 February 2026 | Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre, Hampshire / South East region | One of the largest manufacturing & engineering trade fairs: exhibitors in mechanical, electrical, precision engineering etc. For regulated manufacturers, opportunities to source hygiene-approved equipment, control systems, traceability tech. Good for reliability / maintenance vendors & regulatory compliance solutions. InvestFife |
Premier Manufacturing & Supply Chain Expo – Wales | 26 February 2026 | ICC Wales | Though in Wales, this is relevant if you operate or supply there. Focus on manufacturing, supply chain innovation. For regulated goods, it’s useful for meeting supply chain standards, finding partners, regulatory alignment. manufacturingevent.com |
National Manufacturing Conference 2026 | 3 March 2026 | London, QEII Centre | High-profile UK manufacturing event. ~700 delegates. Broad themes: policy, regulation, productivity, innovation. Good for high level insights, regulatory trends, networking with peers & government. Make UK |
MACH 2026 | 20-24 April 2026 | NEC, Birmingham (Midlands) | Major UK show for manufacturing technologies. Robotics, automation, precision engineering, manufacturing workflows. For food/regulated sector, relevant for automation, hygiene-friendly robotics, clean processing, consistent reliability. fourjaw.com |
10th ICAMM (International Conference on Advanced Manufacturing and Materials) | 1-4 July 2026 | London, UK | Academic + industry mix. Strong on materials, advanced manufacturing, possibly regulatory materials, packaging, new materials. Not always food-specific but useful for understanding upstream innovation & materials |
We look forward to speaking with you soon, and helping you implement sustainable productivity in your manufacturing business.
Roy McFarlane CEng
Total Productivity Solutions Ltd
Phone 01980 669 610