Revolutionising UK Manufacturing: Innovation Alley 2026
Located at the very heart of Smart Factory Expo, Innovation Alley is the UK's leading showcase of all the new and developing technologies that will change the landscape of manufacturing over the next 5-10 years.
2025 saw ground-breaking new solutions from the next wave of tech and consultancy businesses targeting the UK manufacturing sector.
Visitors were able to meet and engage with early-stage companies and their founders to uncover game-changing opportunities waiting for their business.
The Alley is open to university spin-outs, start-ups and scale-ups who are less than 5 years old, employ less than 10 members of staff, have an innovative digital product or service targeting manufacturers.
Over 300 past exhibitors are now part of the Innovation Alley Alumni which provides access to a wealth of support, brand exposure, funding, and collaboration opportunities from across the innovation ecosystem, in the UK and internationally.
Innovation Alley at Smart Factory Expo this year will feature:
Join us at the forefront of manufacturing and meet the innovators
Visit Innovation Alley to witness the revolution of UK manufacturing. Together, we're shaping a future that's sustainable, productive, and globally competitive.
BRAND NEW for 2025, Smart Manufacturing Week introduced the Smart Tank competition.
The initiative provided start-ups in Innovation Alley with an engaging platform to present their innovative products and services to potential investors, journalists, industry leaders and partners. The competition showcased the businesses and gave visitors access to bleeding edge technology in a fun format.
Each start-up company had a 10-minute slot - 5 minutes for the pitch and 5 minutes for Q&A from the judges.
2025 Judges included:
Our 2025 participants included:
Transform IOT Services Ltd (Air Alert)
Intelligent air quality monitor and alert systems. All business create airborne waste. The HSE list over 500 mostly invisible toxic particles and contaminants that could pose a danger to humans and the environment if not addressed. Air Alert can help you to make your business safe for all.
KFactory
We're revolutionising the manufacturing industry by integrating cutting-edge technologies like ππ¨π, π¨π©ππ«πππ’π¨π§ππ₯ π©π«π¨πππ¬π¬ π¦ππ§ππ ππ¦ππ§π, and ππ ππ ππ§ππ¬. Our innovative solutions are designed to streamline processes, enhance operational efficiencies, and promote sustainable manufacturing practices.
Uie
Lifecycle reliability using monitoring technologies. Uie helps you adopt and implement innovative monitoring technologies and processes to improve your asset performance.
iMaintain
AI-powered, mobile-first CMMS is transforming maintenance, closing the skills gap, and empowering manufacturers with real-time insights.
Exine Technology
Exine produces bespoke software and electronics hardware to provide innovative traceability and business conformance systems. These systems utilise technologies such as RFID, sensors, Wi-Fi, digital modelling, M2M communication, to create a digital link with assets and products ensuring tracking of location, status and providing confidence in their proper processing.
FactoryPulse
Configurable, simple and accessible digital manufacturing solutions. For manufacturers wanting to digitise common activities like work order tracking and lean management, solutions are frequently overly complex and expensive for their organisations. At FactoryPulse we prioritise developing highly configurable simple to use applications which we can offer to SME manufacturers at an accessible price point.
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