Dudley Associates, Sierra 57 & Partners to Open Their Doors for National Manufacturing Day

Dudley Associates will welcome young people to its injection moulding facility in Lutterworth for National Manufacturing Day 2026, with support from Sierra 57 and other industry partners. The national initiative, led by manufacturers’ organisation Make UK, encourages manufacturers to open their doors and showcase career opportunities.

Taking place on Thursday 24 September 2026, National Manufacturing Day gives manufacturers across the UK an opportunity to welcome visitors behind the scenes, showcase career opportunities and engage with future talent.

The event at Dudley Associates will run under the banner “Opening our Doors. To Open Young Minds”. This local initiative is inspired by UK Manufacturing Festivals, which engages the next generation through STEM outreach events and activities.

The initiative reflects the sentiment that young people cannot aspire to careers they cannot see. With a skills gap affecting both plastics and the wider manufacturing industry, the organisers are highlighting the need to engage future talent long before recruitment begins.

They are calling for businesses to build talent strategies into their business plans, combining recruitment with efforts to inspire the next generation. With one in five senior engineers in the plastics industry nearing retirement, the challenge includes transferring decades of knowledge to future setters and injection moulders, supporting continued growth and the UK’s ability to compete internationally.

Katie Weston of Dudley Associates said:

“Young people need to see the technology, creativity and breadth of careers inside our industry. Opening the factory makes engineering tangible, challenges outdated perceptions and helps more students see where their own strengths could fit.”

By giving students direct access to a working manufacturing environment, the initiative aims to make the range of opportunities within plastics more visible. These span fields including materials science and sustainability, with applications across sectors such as healthcare, packaging and electronics.

Mark Lawson, CEO of Sierra 57, said:

“As an industry, we are not doing enough to promote ourselves to the next generation. Plastics manufacturing is a sector that is widely misunderstood but its significance is critical to other manufacturing sectors. Products produced in their thousands on injection moulding machines underpin the healthcare industry, by default the NHS; plastics protects our food; our cars are constructed of 15% plastics. It is an industry that must make itself more appealing and available to the next generation if we are to remain competitive, ultimately survive.”

Joining Dudley Associates and Sierra 57 are Ultrapolymers Group, the British Plastics Federation, UK Manufacturing Festivals and TH Plastics Ltd.

Warrington-based Ultrapolymers Group, which supplies innovative and sustainable materials to the injection moulding industry, has committed personnel to support the event. Its team will engage with students and introduce them to the opportunities available across the sector.

The British Plastics Federation, the UK’s main trade association for the plastics industry, brings decades of industry knowledge. Its links with businesses, educators, policymakers and technical experts will support efforts to show young people what a career in plastics can involve and how their ideas could contribute to its future.

UK Manufacturing Festivals works to inspire the next generation to pursue manufacturing and engineering careers. Its hands-on careers festivals bring schools and manufacturers together, allowing young people to meet businesses, discover technologies, take part in practical activities and explore the range of roles available.

TH Plastics is a UK engineering and systems integration company specialising in equipment and automation for plastics manufacturing. Working with leading equipment manufacturers, it provides complete, integrated solutions tailored to customers’ factories and production requirements.

The collaboration between the six organisations reflects a shared commitment to strengthening links between education and industry. Their participation also recognises the work of organiser Angela Lawlor, the driving force behind recent UK Manufacturing Festivals, in helping to bridge that gap.

An evening networking event and meal will follow, with participants expected to share best practice on engaging future manufacturing talent and building relationships with local schools and colleges.

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