Smart Factory Expo 2026: What Manufacturers Are Really Looking For
After two days exhibiting with NexAIoT at Smart Factory Expo 2026, one thing became clear: manufacturers aren’t looking for the latest buzzword. They’re looking for practical ways to maximise the value of the equipment and data they already have.
We spoke with visitors from various sectors, including food and drink, pharmaceuticals, automotive, aerospace, construction, mining, and packaging. While every business had its own challenges, the same themes kept coming up.
Getting Data Out of Existing Equipment
One of the most common discussions was around legacy machinery.
Many manufacturers want better visibility of what’s happening on the factory floor, but don’t want to replace equipment that is still doing its job. Whether it was a quarry operator looking at remote monitoring, a medical filter manufacturer exploring machine data collection, or a construction products company starting to modernise its production processes, the challenge was often the same: how do we connect what we already have?
Data Is Only Useful If You Can Do Something with It
Most visitors weren’t asking how to collect data. They were asking how to use it.
Interest in industrial IoT, dashboards, predictive maintenance, and analytics was strong, but the real goal was to understand what the data was telling them and how it could help improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and support better decisions.
AI Conversations Are Becoming More Practical
AI was everywhere at the show, but the conversations felt more grounded than in previous years.
We spoke with visitors exploring vision systems for weld inspection, fault detection and quality control. Others were looking at processing data closer to the machine rather than sending everything to the cloud.
The focus wasn’t on AI for the sake of it. It was on solving specific problems.
Small Steps Are Driving Progress
Perhaps the most interesting takeaway was that many organisations weren’t planning huge transformation projects.
Some were looking at industrial PCs for data collection. Others were interested in rugged tablets, energy monitoring or connecting isolated machines to existing systems.
For many manufacturers, progress starts with a single project that delivers a clear result.
What We Showed at the Event
At the Distec Ltd stand, alongside NexAIoT, we demonstrated solutions that help manufacturers:
- Capture machine and sensor data
- Connect factory and business systems
- Monitor and control equipment
- Process data at the edge
- Visualise operations in real time
The conversations we had throughout the week confirmed that these challenges are being felt across every sector, regardless of size or industry.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by the stand. We enjoyed the discussions and look forward to continuing them long after Smart Manufacturing Week 2026 has finished.
Talk to Smart Manufacturing Experts
Whether you’re looking to capture machine data, improve connectivity, deploy edge computing solutions or gain better visibility across your operations, our team is here to help. Contact our experts here
About the Author
Louise Knowles is the Marketing Manager at Distec Ltd, a UK-based technology solutions provider specialising in cutting-edge industrial computing, embedded systems, and innovative IIoT and Edge solutions. Working with leading technology partners, Louise Knowles shares the latest product news and insights that support businesses across industrial automation, healthcare, retail, marine, and military sectors.