Touring around the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) at the AEMT’s 77th AGM in June, I was struck by how automated the future of manufacturing looks. Everything seems to be spat out of a box – including fully kitted out modular student flats for onsite automated assembly! The factory in a box was particularly impressive; with the production line automatically ordering supplies and self-diagnosing operating conditions; the only input needed was someone to come along and maintain the moving parts.

We also looked at the future of the electric motor using additive manufacturing (or 3D printing). The MTC was able to produce a standard industrial electric motor with more power, a weight saving of 10%, and a size reduction of 30%; additional to that was reduced part counts, waste reduction, and lower running costs – there was even talk of repairability. 

It seemed a fitting place to discuss where the AEMT is heading during the AGM, with some insightful comments from the participants of our hybrid online/offline meeting.

Our current strategy is three-pronged. Firstly we are investing in training so that the skills retiring from the industry are retained for the future. Our project with the University of York to develop an online learning portal for practical hands-on teaching courses has started very well. We hope to have a beta site live in Q1 2023 with two or three courses available. 

Once the project with the University of York is ended, we will have the capability to understand the true resource and investment needed to develop future online courses using the platform, so we are keen to hear from members about their needs.

Secondly, we see strength in the industry coming together to help each other overcome future obstacles. So, we are asking members to register their interest in a series of business support services in coaching, mentoring, and peer-to-peer networks. We are pleased to say that several members have come forward with interest. It's worth noting here that anyone, at any level, can register interest – the AEMT is an inclusive association to support anyone employed in the industry. Please email rebecca@aemt.co.uk to register interest.

Our third strategic theme is to focus on our membership growth so that we are stronger and less reliant on training to subsidise membership overheads.

To grow our membership, we are focusing on improving our member value proposition, which will be published later this year. We have also launched a 'refer a friend' scheme, with T&Cs available on our website: https://www.theaemt.com/membership/refer-afriend-terms. For any new members referred, a £30 gift voucher will be shared with the nominee and the new member.

We ended 2021 with a surplus, and we intend to end 2022 year with a surplus, too – even after investing in training technologies. After a devastating year in 2020, we must build the association's reserves so we can continue investing in the industry while also using them as an insurance policy for any more unforeseen threats.

Finally, our important work with Primary Engineer is bearing some fruit, with ADC Electrical in Tyneside starting their partnership with the charity. We need many more members to pledge a little money and time so that we can engage with the future workforce. Please visit Primary Engineer for more details. If you are interested in supporting this initiative, please contact me.

If you’ve any comments or suggestions or would like to speak to me about any of the above points, please don’t hesitate to contact us, one of the council members or the President. You can email me at thomas@aemt.co.uk or call +44 (0)1904 674 899.