The Health and Safety Executive estimates that over two million people in Great Britain are exposed to unacceptable levels of noise at work, with food and drink production being amongst the biggest culprits. Many of the processes that emit the most noise happen during manufacturing, but there are ways that plant managers can reduce it, as Tom Cash, director at automation parts supplier Foxmere, explains.

Automation can enhance jobs, making them safer and quicker for humans. Nevertheless, reaping these benefits means closing a wide automation skills gap, explains Stephen Hayes, managing director at automation specialist Beckhoff UK.

Patrick Faulkner, lead engineer at Accu, looks at why understanding surface roughness is essential for manufacturers and engineers - not only to ensure functionality but also to optimise the longevity and reliability of the final product.

Alongside motors and gears, NORD DRIVESYSTEMS points to the importance of its NORDAC frequency inverters for applications where movements must be intelligently controlled.

Stephen Hayes, managing director at Beckhoff Automation UK, looks at magnetic levitation and its revolutionary potential for manufacturing.

Fernando Colas, CEO of OMRON Industrial Automation Europe, discusses the top five manufacturing automation trends for 2025.

Demands on the precision drive system market, covering applications ranging from robotics through to medical implants, continue to push needs in precise control with more compact designs. maxon UK and Ireland's managing director, William Mason, explains how engineering support in the drive system market has developed - and where it's going.

Ali Khalil, development sales manager for high voltage solutions at industrial equipment manufacturer WEG explains that deciding when to use a soft starter instead of a VFD involves assessing four key factors: speed control, price, size and energy efficiency.

'Digitalisation' is a buzzword that has been floating around for a while. But is it still relevant? The short answer is yes. While many businesses have made some adjustments to move towards digitalised processes to automate some manual, time-consuming tasks, in many instances there is still room for significant further improvement, or indeed for that first step to be taken, as the experts at Rittal explain.

Andy Graham, solutions manager at SolutionsPT, explores how OEMs can offer new benefits to their customers through HMI choice.