Food and drink manufacturers face a constant balancing act. They need to drive productivity, reduce waste and improve profitability, while preparing for future growth, changing customer requirements and evolving technologies.

Many businesses struggle to address some fundamental questions – should we automate, do we have the right data and insight to identify where improvements will deliver the greatest return, are we investing in technology that will still deliver value in five years' time, and what hidden inefficiencies are costing us money every day?

This session will explore how food and drink manufacturers can create factories that are efficient, scalable and future-ready. From lean manufacturing principles and workforce productivity to digital maturity, equipment investment and factory design, industry leaders will share practical strategies for improving performance, using data to drive better decision making, and creating flexible operations that can adapt to future business needs without overinvesting in solutions that may quickly become obsolete.