Inspiring the next generation on National Manufacturing Day 2026

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24th September saw another successful National Manufacturing Day at Warren, with more than 200 visitors joining us across our two sites throughout the day.

We welcomed pupils from local primary and secondary schools, along with their teachers, representatives from Make UK and staff from our local council, giving everyone the opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes at Warren.

As part of a wider programme of visits to local manufacturing businesses, the groups were able to meet members of our shop floor and office teams, learn about the different roles within the company and see some of our manufacturing processes in action.

There was plenty to see and do, with our welding demonstrations, laser cell and waterjet cutting equipment attracting lots of interest. Another popular activity was the Lego challenge organised by Estee, giving visitors the chance to get involved in something a little more hands-on.

Also, it wasn’t just the students who were learning! The accompanying adults also had the opportunity to find out more about modern manufacturing, the technology we use and the range of skills needed to keep a business like Warren running.

Showing young people what manufacturing has to offer

National Manufacturing Day is an important event for Warren, giving us the chance to introduce young people to engineering and manufacturing at an age when they may not yet have considered the career opportunities available.

By welcoming students into our workplace, we hope to give them a better understanding of what manufacturing involves and perhaps inspire some of them to consider a future career in the sector.

A big thank you to everyone involved

Hosting more than 200 visitors across two busy manufacturing sites takes a great deal of planning and teamwork, so we’d like to thank everyone who helped prepare for the event and contributed on the day.

A special thank you goes to Estee, Sophie Hall, Will and Ella, who led our tours and helped make sure our visitors had an enjoyable and informative experience.

We’re delighted that another National Manufacturing Day has been such a success and hope everyone who visited us took something useful away from the experience.

We’re already looking forward to doing it all again next year!

Warren represented at Make UK East of England Advisory Board

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Our Business Development Director, Sophie Hall, recently represented Warren at the Make UK East of England Regional Advisory Board, attending in place of Richard.

The Regional Advisory Board brings together manufacturing leaders from across the East of England to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the sector, share experiences and consider the issues likely to contribute to its future.

Hosted by Toro U.K. Limited, the meeting included insights from Rt Hon Robert Halfon, Make UK’s Executive Director of Policy & External Affairs, who discussed the current economic and political landscape and what this could mean for UK manufacturers. Robert has a longstanding involvement in skills and apprenticeships, having previously served twice as Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills.

Another interesting part of the session was a discussion led by Gabrielle Crofts on the growing role of artificial intelligence in manufacturing and the opportunities it presents for improving performance and efficiency.

The meeting also looked at the latest industry policy developments, including the increasing focus on reindustrialisation and the future of UK manufacturing. These discussions come at a time when manufacturers continue to balance opportunities for investment and growth with pressures including energy, employment and input costs.

For Sophie, it was a valuable opportunity to hear different perspectives from across the sector, share ideas with other manufacturing leaders and gain further insight into some of the trends and developments that could affect businesses like Warren.

Being involved with Make UK’s regional network helps us stay connected with the wider manufacturing community and contribute our own experiences to discussions about the future of our industry.

Getting ready for National Manufacturing Day 2026

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Thursday 24 September will be a particularly busy day at Warren as we once again open our doors to local primary school children for National Manufacturing Day 2026.

We’ll be welcoming large groups of Year 6 pupils to our sites throughout the day, giving them the opportunity to step inside a working manufacturing environment and see some of the people, skills, machinery and technology involved in modern engineering.

For many of the children, this may be their first experience of visiting a manufacturing business. It’s a great opportunity to show them that today’s industry offers a huge variety of roles and career paths, and hopefully spark an interest in engineering from an early age.

Last year’s National Manufacturing Day was a great success, with six classes visiting from schools across the region. The children were able to see processes including welding, laser and waterjet cutting, turning and milling, alongside some of the projects being produced at Warren.

We were delighted by their enthusiasm and the number of questions they asked, so we’re looking forward to welcoming another group of inquisitive Year 6 pupils this year.

With so many young visitors on site, it will inevitably be a busy day for everyone at Warren. We’ll be ensuring the children have an enjoyable, interesting and safe visit.

Events like National Manufacturing Day give businesses like ours the chance to show the next generation what manufacturing is really like and introduce them to an industry they may otherwise know very little about.

We’re looking forward to another busy day and, hopefully, inspiring a few of the engineers and manufacturers of the future!

Bringing skills and apprenticeship expertise together at Westminster

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On 29 July, Warren Founder and Owner Richard Bridgman travelled to Westminster for a meeting with Baroness Debbie Stedman-Scott to continue an important conversation around skills, apprenticeships and opportunities for young people.

The meeting had originally been planned for the House of Lords, but with building works taking place, the group relocated to Portcullis House within the Parliamentary Estate.

Baroness Stedman-Scott, who is Shadow Minister for Skills in the House of Lords, had recently visited Warren and brings many years of experience in supporting young people who are NEET – Not in Education, Employment or Training. She was joined at the meeting by her researcher, Sam.

Having seen first-hand Debbie’s knowledge and enthusiasm for addressing the challenges facing young people, Richard was keen to introduce her to Ann Watson, CEO of Enginuity.

Richard has worked with Ann for many years through their shared interest in promoting apprenticeships and developing skills within engineering and manufacturing. Bringing the two together provided an opportunity to exchange experiences, ideas and perspectives on some of the challenges facing employers and young people today.

Skills development and apprenticeships have always been important to Warren. We have seen the difference that the right training, workplace experience and support can make, not only to individuals but also to businesses looking to develop their future workforce.

Meetings like this provide an opportunity for people with different areas of expertise to share knowledge and consider how industry, education and policymakers can work more closely together.

For Richard, the meeting was another valuable opportunity to champion apprenticeships and ensure the experiences of employers like Warren form part of the wider conversation about skills and employment.

We look forward to seeing where these conversations lead.

Another apprenticeship success at Warren

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We’re delighted to celebrate another apprenticeship achievement at Warren, with Lud successfully completing her Level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeship.

Lud has been completing her qualification alongside her role within our Procurement team, putting what she has learned into practice while gaining valuable experience within the business. She has now officially received her pass certificate – a fantastic achievement and recognition of all the work she has put in.

Lud’s success also marks an important milestone for Warren, as all three of our recent Level 3 Business Administration apprentices have now successfully completed their qualifications.

Lud joins Ella and Natalia in achieving their Level 3 qualification, making it a triple success that we’re very proud to celebrate.

Apprenticeships have long been an important part of Warren. While engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships naturally play a major role in developing skills on our shop floor, we’re equally committed to creating opportunities for people to learn and progress within our office-based departments.

Seeing Lud, Ella and Natalia successfully complete their qualifications demonstrates the value apprenticeships can bring across all areas of the business.

We’re continually looking at how we can develop and expand our apprenticeship programme, giving people the opportunity to gain recognised qualifications, build practical experience and develop their careers with Warren.

A huge well done to Lud, Ella and Natalia. All three have become valued members of the Warren team, and we look forward to continuing to support them as they develop their skills, continue their studies and progress within the business.

Warren joins skills shortage panel at The Welding Institute

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On 7 July, Warren Founder and Owner Richard Bridgman was invited to join a special panel at TWI – The Welding Institute, discussing one of the biggest challenges facing engineering and manufacturing – the shortage of skilled workers, particularly within welding.

The event was a major occasion for TWI, attracting visitors from across the UK and overseas. Throughout the day there were trade stands, lectures, competitions and interactive sessions, alongside opportunities to see some of TWI’s facilities, workshops and latest developments first-hand.

With so much taking place, Richard said it was difficult to fit everything in, but the event was extremely well organised and provided plenty of opportunities to meet people from across the industry.

Among the guests were a number of high-profile dignitaries, including the Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire, as well as HRH The Princess Royal, who arrived at the event by helicopter.

After lunch, it was Richard’s turn to take to the main stage for a panel discussion chaired by Professor Steven Jones from the University of Sheffield.

Richard was joined on the panel by Martyn Fletcher of BAE Systems and Dave Whitehouse of Altrad, representing two major international organisations within the aerospace, defence and industrial services sectors.

Richard commented:

“As you can see, it was quite daunting for me standing beside these guys!”

Despite the difference in scale between the organisations represented, the discussion highlighted a challenge they all share – finding, training and retaining the skilled people needed for the future.

Each panellist spoke about their organisation and their approaches to training and recruitment before Professor Jones raised questions that had emerged during the discussion. The session then opened up to questions from the audience.

For Warren, developing skills through apprenticeships, training and opportunities for people to build careers within engineering has been a longstanding priority. Being invited to contribute to a national discussion alongside some of the industry’s largest organisations was a valuable opportunity to share the perspective and experiences of an SME.

Reflecting on the experience, Richard summed it up simply:

“This was quite a day…”

Welcoming three new faces to the Warren team

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We’ve recently welcomed several new members to the Warren team, bringing with them experience from across manufacturing as well as plenty of interests outside the workplace.

We’d like to introduce Ashley, Jakub and Dennis and give everyone the chance to get to know them a little better.

Welcome Ashley

Ashley has joined Warren as a CNC Machinist, bringing an impressive 16 years of machining experience to the role.

He has lived in Thetford with his partner for the past eight years and is dad to two young daughters – a five-year-old and the newest addition to the family, who is just four months old.

Outside of work and family life, Ashley has a longstanding passion for boxing, having taken up the sport at the age of 13. He now gives something back by volunteering as a coach at Thetford Boxing Club, helping others develop their own skills in the sport.

We’re delighted to have Ashley within the Warren team.

 

Welcome Jakub

Jakub joins us as a Brake Press Operator, having previously worked within sheet metal manufacturing.

Originally from Poland, Jakub has been living in the UK for several years and brings relevant industry experience to his new role at Warren.

When he’s away from work, he enjoys travelling, playing video games and spending time outdoors.

We’re pleased to welcome Jakub to the business and hope he enjoys being part of the team.

 

Welcome Dennis

Dennis is the newest addition to our Orders Department and also joins us with previous manufacturing industry experience.

Before coming to Warren, she spent three years working for another manufacturing company, where her role focused on stock control. She’s looking forward to taking on new challenges, developing his skills and learning from the wealth of experience that exists across Warren.

Outside of work, Dennis enjoys spending time with friends, getting out and about and making the most of her free time.

It’s always great to welcome new people into the business and see the different experience, knowledge and personalities they bring with them.

A warm welcome to Ashley, Jakub and Dennis from everyone at Warren. We hope you’ll all have long and successful careers with us!

Sean Allan – 10 Year Anniversary

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This month, we are celebrating another fantastic long-service milestone at Warren as Sean Allan marks 10 years with the business.

Over the past decade, Sean has worked as part of both our Assembly and Sapphire teams, bringing reliability, experience and a positive attitude to his roles.

Ten years with a business represents a considerable commitment, and during that time Sean has become a valued and popular member of the Warren team. Known for his easy-going nature and willingness to get on with the job, he has made an important contribution to the departments he has worked within.

We’re also reliably informed that Sean likes a hammer – which, in an engineering and manufacturing business, is probably not a bad quality to have!

Long-serving employees bring a huge amount of knowledge and experience to Warren. Their understanding of our processes, customers and the way we work is invaluable, while their support for colleagues helps skills and knowledge to be shared throughout the business.

Sean’s reliability and commitment over the past ten years are greatly appreciated, and we are delighted to recognise everything he has contributed during his time with us.

Congratulations, Sean, on reaching your 10-year anniversary at Warren. Thank you for your hard work and dedication and here’s to many more successes in the years ahead.

Richard attends the Enginuity Skills Awards 2026

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On 1st July, Warren’s Founder and Owner, Richard Bridgman, attended the Enginuity Skills Awards 2026 at the Park Plaza Hotel in Westminster.

Richard was invited to the prestigious black-tie event as a guest of EAL (Excellence, Achievement & Learning), the organisation responsible for maintaining and promoting training standards across the engineering and manufacturing sectors throughout the UK.

Reflecting on the occasion, Richard said:

“It always feels strange to travel on the train in a dinner suit and bow tie!”

The evening celebrated the outstanding achievements of apprentices, employers and organisations that are helping to develop the future of engineering and manufacturing. Throughout the ceremony, awards were presented across a wide range of categories, recognising excellence in skills, training and workforce development.

As well as the presentations, the event provided an excellent opportunity to connect with industry leaders, training providers and business representatives from across the country. Richard enjoyed catching up with longstanding contacts, making new connections and hearing about the innovative work taking place throughout the sector.

Supporting apprenticeships and investing in skills development has always been a key part of Warren’s values, so it was inspiring to see so many individuals and businesses recognised for their commitment to nurturing future talent.

After an enjoyable evening of celebration and networking, Richard finally arrived home at 1.30am – bringing a memorable and very long day to a close.

Congratulations to all of this year’s Enginuity Skills Awards winners and finalists for their outstanding achievements.