Conference Programme 2025

In a sector defined by precision, complexity, and global collaboration, how we document and communicate engineering requirements is just as critical as the designs themselves. And that’s where BS 8888:2025 – the UK’s national standard for technical product documentation and specification – comes into play. With its 10th edition, BS 8888 continues its legacy as an essential tool for engineering designers, bringing together a rapidly evolving landscape of international standards into one coherent, practical resource. From digital design and model-based enterprise to additive manufacturing, today’s engineering workflows demand standards that are accurate, up-to-date, and globally aligned. The latest edition of BS 8888 delivers just that, incorporating critical changes that reflect the technologies, materials, and expectations shaping modern product development.

Ever wondered why your relay welds, your contactor overheats or your switch just won’t last? From energy storage systems to electrified industrial vehicles, equipment lacking robust switching can lead to premature failure, safety hazards and costly downtime.

Whether you’re an engineer designing next-gen systems, a buyer responsible for driving efficiency or a manufacturer seeking to boost customer confidence, join Durakool to discover how choosing and integrating the correct relay and contactor provides reliability, optimises performance, protects your investment and delivers peace of mind

 All innovative businesses are creating valuable Intellectual Property (IP). But are they protecting that IP properly? Technical inventions can be protected by filing patent applications and getting patents granted. There are many advantages to obtaining patents and building a patent portfolio. This presentation covers the main advantages that businesses gain by filing patent applications and obtaining granted patents. These include diverse commercial and technical advantages including valuable tax breaks that are available to owners of granted UK patents. The tax break can often far exceed the cost of obtaining a patent, creating a virtuous circle of patent creation and investment.

Bluetooth Low Energy has long enabled proximity-based services, but with Bluetooth v6 approaching, we are entering the next phase of truly intelligent environments. This presentation explores how BLE is being used today for indoor positioning, asset tracking and contextual automation—and how Bluetooth v6 enhancements will enable richer, more precise location-aware experiences across industries.  

What do you do when requirements keep evolving, the timeline is tight, and your design’s application is growing ever more ambitious? Welcome to the world of special projects. This talk explores techniques for designing sensor systems that remain reliable when all else changes, with stories from real‑world design projects including a retrofit rangefinder receiver for an already‑fielded laser designator and a photochemistry instrument that brings scientific rigour to photocatalysed drug production, and shares practical insights for creating technology that meets the brief when the brief doesn’t (fully) exist.

How to meet the requirements of the act efficiently within the limited timeline.

The 2024 Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), which came into force on December 11, 2024, has set a strict 21-month deadline for compliance — placing immediate pressure on engineers and product teams to align their devices and new designs with these new requirements. This session will focus on how to meet the requirements of the act efficiently within this limited timeline. Add to that the UK equivalent came into force in April 2024, and you cannot avoid knowing that failure to comply could result in hefty fines and/or exclusion from selling your products & services.

Avoid costly redesigns, failed tests, and project delays by building EMC compliance into your product from day one. In this practical session, we’ll explore proven design strategies—covering grounding, filtering, and shielding—and how to validate them early using real-world tools like spectrum analysers, LISNs, and pre-compliance test gear. Learn how to leverage affordable, accessible instruments from brands like Siglent, Rigol, and Tekbox to catch EMC issues before certification. Whether you're a hardware engineer, system designer, or project lead, this session will help you design with confidence and pass EMC the first time.

Including the Human when gathering Information Requirements for a Digital Twin

What a human-centred approach is and why we need one. Who is “Me”?  and how to capture “Me’s” information requirements (Personas - what and why).

What a Digital Twin is.  What aspect would it be useful to have a DT for?  Who are the people or roles that are involved? Who will need what data? What data do you already have access to?  What actions do the people (or the system) need to take? How quickly is a response needed?

How to include “Me” when gathering information requirements for a Digital Twin.

Are component obsolescence challenges costing your business or your customers thousands?

Discover why 34% of manufacturers still "wing it" despite quarterly disruptions.

Join embedded systems industry veteran Dunstan Power as he shares how companies are transforming obsolescence from crisis to competitive advantage.

Through exclusive research with nearly 600 industry professionals and real-world case studies, Dunstan will demonstrate how the right approach can help slash crisis response and redesign costs. Leave with actionable strategies, including a practical assessment framework and implementation roadmap, to transform obsolescence management from unavoidable expense to strategic advantage.

Stop reacting to obsolescence - and start controlling it.

Sitting at the intersection of technology and law, the patent system was designed to incentivise innovation by rewarding human creativity, granting monopolies in exchange for contributing to human knowledge. Starting with a discussion on common misconceptions about patents – including whether you can patent software, what rights a patent actually gives you, and the different ways a patent can be commercially valuable, this session will discuss the how, what and why of securing patent protection. This session is suitable for those who have no experience with IP and patent filings, as well as those who are more experienced.

 Designing products with the user experience and efficiency in mind is a challenge in today's cost and speed driven world of product development and automation introduction. This session will discuss and demonstrate how to approach industrial design for automation & robotics with a lean first and virtual to reality mindset. Digital Transformation only works successfully when the human end users are the key focus, not the technology. This interactive session will include a demonstration of a mobile industrial robot and its virtual counterpart. Participants will gain insights into automation projects for billion dollar blue chip customers.

The UK manufacturing sector faces a critical skills shortage, threatening its growth and competitiveness. This panel discussion will address the widening gap between available talent and industry needs, exploring innovative strategies to attract, train, and retain the next generation of manufacturing professionals. Join us to hear from industry leaders, educators, and students as we discuss how to inspire young people, enhance training programs, and build a sustainable pipeline of skilled workers to ensure a thriving future for UK manufacturing.