Ireland’s largest gathering of manufacturing and supply chain professionals takes place on May 28th and 29th next at RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin. The 12th edition of the National Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition 2025 brings together thousands of manufacturing professionals, industry leaders and Government representatives for two days of networking, knowledge-sharing and innovation.
The event is now firmly established as a highlight of Ireland’s manufacturing sector calendar, covering cutting-edge developments in Industry 4.0, automation, sustainability, supply-chain management and more. With an extensive conference programme, an interactive exhibition, and multiple themed stages, attendees will gain valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities shaping the industry.
“We are expecting over 5,000 visitors from Ireland and overseas during the two days of the event,” says conference organiser Colin Murphy, founder and chairman of Premier Publishing and Events. “Visitors will include engineers and professionals in food, medtech, pharma, electronics, precision engineering, 3D printing and every other key aspect of manufacturing. The conference and exhibition was held in Citywest for many years but that is no longer available, and we are delighted to be in Simmonscourt in the RDS for the event.”
Once again, the conference will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions and case studies from leading figures in manufacturing, engineering and supply-chain management.
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According to Murphy, key topics to be explored include digital manufacturing and smart factories and the role of AI, IoT and automation in production; sustainability and the circular economy and strategies for reducing environmental impact; supply-chain resilience; pharmaceutical life sciences manufacturing and the innovations shaping the sector; and preparing for the future of manufacturing through workforce development and upskilling.
“Attendees will also hear from renowned industry experts, policymakers and business leaders,” Murphy adds. “We will have over 150 expert speakers taking part in panel discussions on four dedicated stages over the two days. Hosted by Ivan Yates, those panel discussions will each feature speakers from Government bodies, industry and academia to ensure that all strands of opinion and expertise are represented. They will take a deep dive into the key issues facing the manufacturing sector and the broader economy today.”
Among the keynote speakers at the conference will be Joan Mulvihill, digitalisation lead with Siemens Ireland. She will address the importance of putting humans at the centre when using artificial intelligence to achieve business objectives
Those issues include the potential trade wars which, despite some positive signals, may still materialise. “The imposition of tariffs by the US will have a major impact on manufacturing industry and supply chains around the world,” he says. “The potential impact on the pharma industry has yet to be fully understood. Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland are both strong supporters of the conference and will have speakers at the event again this year. They will be able to discuss ways of mitigating the Trump effect.
“Other key issues up for discussion will include supply-chain resilience, sustainability, investing in manufacturing facilities, accessing funding for growth, upskilling and retraining, and creating relationships between universities and manufacturing companies to support innovation.”
Among the keynote speakers at the conference will be Joan Mulvihill, digitalisation lead with Siemens Ireland. She will address the importance of putting humans at the centre when using artificial intelligence (AI) to achieve business objectives.
“As a Siemens person this is a particularly important year,” she says. “2025 marks 100 years of Siemens in Ireland and it is with some pride and excitement that I consider our role in the empowerment of Irish manufacturing over past decades and also at this pivotal age of digitalisation, the critical role our technologies will play in enabling businesses to reach our shared sustainability goals.”
Artificial intelligence will play a key role on that journey, she says. “The two words on everyone’s lips these days are artificial intelligence and for sure it’s a game changer in terms of speed and scope of the game but it’s the players that interest me most. I evangelise for data-driven decisions but human-led organisations. It is our capacity to be great humans, to be great leaders that will determine our future success.”
She says she has given considerable thought to what being ‘human led’ really means to organisations. “I’ve concluded that perhaps the greatest expression of our humanity is where our creativity meets our purpose,” she continues. “For the past five years or more creativity has risen up the ranks for the World Economic Forum to be the most important skill for the future. My role as digitalisation, sustainability and creativity lead is to provoke and incite creativity in business leaders reconnecting with their purpose to achieve sustainable business value outcomes.”
Mulvihill explains that our capacity for creativity can be stretched during periods of uncertainty. “We must flex our ability to see around corners, to imagine and create new pathways forward. Technology is the vehicle in which we will travel those pathways, but we need creativity to set the destination. At Siemens we want our customers to thrive and succeed, to reach their destinations.
“With artificial intelligence, even the wildest destinations are within sight,” she adds. “We can shorten pathways to new treatments, drug discovery and cures, we can deliver more sustainable supply chains, more sustainable food and water supply. Whether it’s AI within life sciences or food production our focus is on AI for good. So, while artificial intelligence is providing so many of the answers, it has never been more important that we as humans, we as leaders, are asking the right questions.”
The discussions on digitalisation and AI will be particularly important, according to Murphy. “We are very much at the early stages of AI adoption in manufacturing. A lot of people say it is a solution for everything, but we still need to see how it can be applied to best effect.”
Robotics will be another area of focus. “Robots are making manufacturing facilities more efficient,” Murphy points out. “We are also seeing cobots [collaborative robots] working alongside humans to help them become more productive. We are travelling through a very interesting road at present. At a time when manufacturers are finding it difficult to hire suitable talent, robotics and cobotics will help to fill resource deficits.”
Moving on to supply chains, he says companies will need to re-examine their strategies in light of new tariffs and other disruptions. “Companies are looking at new routes to market. Northern Ireland is going to be explored if it has lower tariffs. We still have to see how that will play out. That will be among the areas up for discussion as will energy. AI consumes five times as much energy as a standard search engine. The country needs much more investment in its energy infrastructure to support that.”
The exhibition element is no less important. “Over 200 exhibitors will showcase the latest technologies, innovations and business solutions, providing visitors with hands-on demonstrations of new products and services designed to enhance manufacturing efficiency,” says Murphy. “This offers Irish suppliers to the manufacturing sector the opportunity to meet potential customers both from within Ireland and overseas. Networking is at the heart of the event. Exhibitors and visitors will enjoy structured opportunities to engage with professionals across all areas of manufacturing, from multinational executives to local SMEs. This will help them to forge valuable connections, exchange ideas and explore partnerships that drive mutual success.”
