AutomationUnleashed
Powering the Next Era of Food & Drink Manufacturing
Join an exclusive leadership forum co-hosted by Argon & Co and the MTC - Automation Unleashed: Powering the Next Era of Food & Drink Manufacturing
Senior executives from across the food and drink sector are invited to an high impact lunch event at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), where we will explore how automation, robotics, and technology are reshaping productivity, resilience, and sustainable growth in UK manufacturing.
Hosted jointly by Argon & Co and the MTC, this session brings together industry leaders, innovators, and practitioners to share cutting edge insights—ranging from AI enabled production optimisation to realw orld case studies from major manufacturers. Attendees will gain strategic perspectives on overcoming barriers to automation adoption, unlocking value from robotics, and building future ready operations and workforces.
The event includes keynote contributions from Argon & Co’s manufacturing advisors, the MTC’s senior leaders, the voice of food manufacturers the Food & Drink Federation, and first and experience from PepsiCo, followed by an interactive panel, networking, and an optional behind the scenes tour of MTC’s worldclass automation and robotics labs.
A must attend event for: CEOs, COOs, Operations Directors, Manufacturing Directors, and transformation leaders committed to accelerating smart manufacturing across the sector.
Agenda
| Time | Format |
| 10:00 - 12:00 | Four keynote insight‑sharing sessions, followed by a facilitated panel discussion. |
| 12:00 onwards | Lunch and networking |
| Optional guided tours | Approx. 45‑minute facility tour, with departures at 13:00 and 14:00 |
Meet our speakers
James Watson, Partner at Argon & Co
James is a Partner at Argon & Co, leading the UK manufacturing practice and supporting clients across the end‑to‑end supply chain to deliver large‑scale, sustainable performance improvement. With more than a decade at Newton Europe working with both retailers and major FMCG manufacturers, James has designed and delivered transformation programmes spanning network optimisation, operational excellence, procurement, and organisation redesign. James specialises in helping leadership teams embed lasting capability - through the right structures, measures, and ways of working - to ensure benefits continue long after transformation programmes conclude.
Tanya Barringer, Industry Growth Policy Manager at Food & Drinks Federation (FDF)
Tanya is the Industry Growth Policy Manager at the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), where she leads work on skills, employment, innovation, and supply‑chain fairness across the UK’s largest manufacturing sector. Over nearly a decade at the FDF, she has built deep expertise in workforce development, apprenticeships, migration policy, digitalisation, and the adoption of automation across food and drink manufacturing. Her career at the FDF has progressed through a series of increasingly senior roles - spanning skills policy, innovation, strategy, sector council engagement, and employment policy - giving her a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities shaping industry growth. She works closely with government, manufacturers, academic institutions, and professional bodies to ensure the sector has the talent pipeline and innovation ecosystem it needs to thrive. She is an active advocate for the future of the food sector, regularly representing the FDF at events that connect industry with educators and emerging talent. Tanya offers practical insight into the evolving needs of the workforce, the role of innovation in boosting productivity, and the importance of building a fair, resilient, and future‑ready supply chain.
Mike Wilson, Chief Automation Officer at MTC
Mike is the Chief Automation Officer at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), bringing more than four decades of leadership in robotics, automation, and advanced manufacturing across industry, academia, and national bodies. Alongside his MTC remit, he contributes to global and UK automation strategy through roles with the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology’s Robotics Advisory Group, the International Federation of Robotics, the British Automation & Robot Association, and as a Visiting Professor of Robotics and Automation at Loughborough University. His career spans senior positions at leading robotics manufacturers - including KUKA, ABB, and FANUC - giving him a uniquely comprehensive view of industrial automation from technology development to large‑scale deployment. Mike offers unparalleled insight into how automation and robotics can unlock productivity, resilience, and competitiveness across the UK’s food & drink manufacturing sector.
Bhavnita Patel, Business Development Manager - Agri Food at MTC
Bhavnita is Business Development Manager for Agri‑Food at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), where she helps industry accelerate innovation and adopt advanced manufacturing technologies across the UK food system. She brings more than a decade of scientific and industry experience spanning materials science, product development, and food structure research. Before joining the MTC, she spent seven years at PepsiCo in roles covering ingredient science, product development, and materials‑focused innovation, leading cross‑functional projects that connected food structure with consumer experience and manufacturing performance. Prior to this, she held research and technology roles at Mondelēz International & GSK. Bhavnita offers clear, scientifically grounded insight into how materials science and advanced manufacturing can drive quality, resilience, and productivity across the agri‑food sector.