Smart Manufacturing Week 2026: two days on the MRPeasy stand

Smart Manufacturing Week is the UK’s largest gathering of advanced manufacturing and engineering, and this year’s edition at the NEC Birmingham brought together more than 13,500 visitors and over 450 exhibiting companies across two days in June. Several shows run under one roof: Smart Factory Expo, Maintec, Design and Engineering Expo, and Drives and Controls.

Sara and Richard spent both days on the MRPeasy stand at Smart Factory Expo, which was comfortably the busiest hall of the lot. It was our second year there alongside MRPeasy, and the conversations were noticeably further along than in 2025. Fewer people asking what an MRP system is, far more asking how they would get one live.

Who came to talk to us

The range was wide. Manufacturers with a handful of staff and manufacturers with well over a hundred. Consumer electronics, automotive, food and drink, and plenty of the general engineering businesses that make up so much of UK manufacturing.

The questions, though, were remarkably consistent. How do we get off spreadsheets. How do we see production, stock, purchasing and sales in one place. How much of the work can we do ourselves and where do we need help. That last one is exactly why having both MRPeasy and Smart Manufacture on the same stand works so well.

Two ways to implement, explained side by side

The MRPeasy team walked visitors through setting the system up independently, using their demo videos, documentation and support. We talked about the other route: a consultancy led implementation where we map the production set up on site, build and test a database against the real processes, connect the accounts package, and bring staff in gradually before the switch.

Neither route is right for everyone. A business with a simple product structure and a keen owner can do it alone, as several of our case studies show. A business with two sites, seventy five staff and a food industry traceability requirement generally cannot, and should not try. Being able to explain both honestly, in one conversation, was the most useful thing we did all week.

Catching up with customers

As at every show, one of the best parts was meeting MRPeasy users in person. Most of the contact between a software company and its customers happens through support tickets and email, so a stand is a rare chance to talk face to face. Several of our own customers dropped by too, some to say hello and some with detailed questions about getting more out of the system they already run.

What we took away

Two days of listening to UK manufacturers is worth more than any survey. The picture in 2026 is of a lot of good businesses running on tools that were never designed for the job, and owners who know it and want a sensible way out. That is the work we do, and it was encouraging to hear how many people are ready to get on with it.

If you spoke to us at the NEC and want to pick the conversation up, or you missed the show and want to know what MRPeasy might do for your operation, get in touch. We will be at more UK events over the coming year and will post the dates here.