Good research earns its place in manufacturing when it can be translated into better products, processes or decisions. That translation requires more than a technical result. It needs collaboration, trials, investment and people with the confidence to use new methods.
Session three of the UKFT Weaving Conference is titled ‘From Labs to Looms’. It will bring together contributions from Dr Stuart McLeod from the Manufacturing Technology Centre, Dr Katya McKenna of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland and Jody Turner of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (pictured above).
The session provides a route into expertise that can sometimes feel difficult to navigate from a busy manufacturing business. Delegates can learn more about the applied research landscape, consider where external capability may support an operational challenge and make contacts for conversations after the event.
Skills are a central part of that picture. A dedicated contribution on digitising skills and training will involve Claire Burns, Batina Aloisi, Karen Vollum-Dix, David Love and Abi McMahon, representing Abraham Moon and Leeds Beckett. Their perspective connects technology adoption with the people expected to make it work day after day.
For employers, digitised training can support consistency, knowledge transfer and access to learning, but it must reflect the realities of textile production. Experienced teams hold deep practical knowledge, while new recruits may be comfortable with digital tools but unfamiliar with the material and mechanical judgement developed in a mill. Productive training brings those strengths together.
This session will be particularly useful for leaders considering collaborative research, technical teams looking for specialist support, and businesses reviewing succession, recruitment or workforce development. It also gives education and research partners a clearer view of the problems manufacturers need help solving.
Book your ticket now to connect with research, manufacturing and skills specialists working on the sector’s next practical steps.
Event details: 8 October 2026 | 9am–6pm, followed by networking dinner | Cedar Court Hotel, Huddersfield
KEY SPEAKERS:
- Claire Burns is People Director at Abraham Moon, joining in 2023. Previously at the Textile Centre of Excellence, Harrison Spinks and SIL Holdings, she is a strategic and people-focused People Director with extensive experience in HR leadership, compliance, and sustainability. She is recognised for driving organisational transformation through talent development, inclusive leadership, and culture-building initiatives. Claire has a proven ability to lead change, shape strategy, and empower leaders and teams to unlock potential and deliver exceptional business outcomes. She is passionate about coaching, mentoring, and creating environments where people thrive and grow.
- David Love is a Senior Lecturer at School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing at Leeds Beckett University. His background is in the creation of high-integrity systems, first in the minerals handling industry then in aerospace. For the last 20 years he has worked on joint academic and industrial projects in manufacturing sectors, increasing productivity by delivering architectural changes to design and production systems.
- Karen Vollum-Dix is a Senior lecturer in HRM at Leeds Business School (LBS). Karen’s teaching emphasises practical application of knowledge and encouraging students to think independently. Knowledge Transfer Partnership project work presents a perfect opportunity to transfer academic knowledge and personal business experience to support SME strategic growth and development goals.
- Batina Aloisi is Co-Founder & CEO of Snap SOP, which helps manufacturers record shop floor and employee training videos from a phone or tablet. With 20 years in enterprise manufacturing across commercial management roles, she's also Founder & Managing Director of Colorado Manufacturing Partners, a statewide industry resource supporting manufacturers across Colorado.
- Abi McMahon is the Process Analysis & Transformation Lead for the Abraham Moon and Leeds Beckett University KTP. With experience in manufacturing leadership, process improvement, and workforce development, she specialises in knowledge capture, digital transformation, and operational excellence to drive sustainable business improvement and organisational capability.
Since 1837, Abraham Moon & Sons has operated out of West Yorkshire, England. It is a family-owned business and is one of the last fully operational vertical mills in England. From fibre to finish, their in-house designers work closely with teams across the mill to produce the designs to exacting standards. Inside the mill, wool is dyed and blended before being made into yarn. The yarn is then woven into the final design, inspected and mended by hand before undergoing final treatments and finishing. Abraham Moon & Sons’ story is one of proud British manufacturing, a willingness to adapt to new challenges, and a passion for the materials they use.
- Dr Jody Turner is a Senior Technical Fellow in the Composite Centre at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. She earned an award‑winning PhD in Steel Metallurgy at Sheffield and worked as a metallurgist before joining the AMRC to focus on metal matrix composites. Her interests broadened significantly, and for the past decade her work has centred on the textile aspects of composite reinforcement fabrics. She has collaborated with technical textile manufacturers to develop novel woven components for aerospace and automotive applications and has led major textiles‑focused projects. A key ambition is bridging the gap between textiles and composites manufacturing.
The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) is a world-leading research and innovation network with industrial partners including Rolls-Royce, Boeing, McLaren, Airbus and BAE Systems. It turns world-leading research into practical improvements for industry, helping to boost businesses productivity and sharpen their competitive edge, while saving time, money and energy. The AMRC has specialist expertise in digital manufacturing, machine learning and artificial intelligence, composites, castings, automation and robotics, nuclear manufacturing, subtractive manufacturing, additive manufacturing, design and prototyping, and training. It has a footprint in Lancashire with AMRC North West, and also in Broughton, north Wales with AMRC Cymru. It is member of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, a national consortium of leading manufacturing and process research centres, backed by Innovate UK.
- Dr Ekaterina McKenna, Senior SME Engagement Executive at NMIS, has 30+ years’ experience of working on projects bridging academia and industry in many areas of science and technology. Over the last 11 years at NMIS Ekaterina has focused on delivery of innovation support to a wide variety of businesses. A Physicist by her original training, a Physical Chemistry PhD and an RSE Enterprise Fellowship alumnus, she has experience of working in industrial manufacturing environment and has also walked a path of entrepreneurship, as an inventor and a start-up company director, and has delivered many new products, solutions, process improvements for SMEs.
The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) is driving the future of manufacturing through innovation. We’re accelerating productivity to grow our economy, develop a vibrant workforce, and create happier, healthier, greener communities. From our growing network of world-class manufacturing R&D facilities, we work with businesses of all sizes and sectors across Scotland, the UK, and beyond to find technology solutions to help them succeed. Coming from diverse backgrounds, our passionate team works alongside industry, academia, and the public sector to solve problems, train the next generation of makers, engineers, and inventors, and generate creative ideas that will change how we make things and protect our planet.
- Dr Stuart McLeod, Engineering Manager at The Manufacturing Technology Centre leading a team of 30 engineers developing innovative digital solutions to industrial problems. He has 18 years of Research experience at Loughborough University and Warwick Manufacturing Group working on Innovate UK and Horizon Europe, as well as industrial focussed Digital Automation projects with companies including Ford, Tetra-Pak, Schroders, SAP, Nike and Schnieder Electric. He completed his PhD in 2013 on Engineering tools to support Component Based Automation Systems before joining JLR as a Principal Engineer for Powertrain Advanced Manufacturing in 2014, and in 2017 becoming a Technology Manager for Smart Connected Plant, before joining the MTC in August 2021.
The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) is one of the UK's leading research and technology organisations, helping manufacturers develop, prove and adopt innovative technologies that improve productivity, competitiveness and sustainability. As part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, MTC works with organisations of all sizes, from SMEs to global OEMs, bridging the gap between research and industrial application. Our experts combine engineering excellence, digital innovation and practical manufacturing experience supporting businesses accelerate technology adoption, de-risk investment decisions and bring new products and processes to market faster. MTC's focus on solving real-world industrial challenges and translating emerging technologies into measurable business value.
