AMPS members were in attendance at the Committee for European Construction Equipment (CECE) Congress 2026 in London, which brought together 200 delegates from across Europe and beyond. Hosted by the Construction Equipment Association (CEA), the two-day Congress explored the theme “Create. Innovate. Inspire.”
A truly impressive range of keynote speakers covered everything from the industrial and economic outlook for UK and European manufacturing to creative thinking and workforce development.
Make UK on manufacturing
Lord Richard Harrington, Chairman of Make UK, spoke about the need for greater recognition of manufacturing’s contribution to the economy.
“We are fighting a battle for credibility in manufacturing,” he said. “There’s a significant element of the British political class who really do believe we’re a service economy.”
On energy prices, he said that Make UK “lobby very heavily… on energy prices, because we have a competitive disadvantage, because most of the green levies and other sorts of policy costs are paid for effectively by business.”
On skills shortages, he said that the UK’s educational systems “are not producing skilled workers for manufacturing in the same way that previous generations have taken for granted.”
Turning to the UK’s industrial relationship with Europe, he was cautious about how quickly it would change. “I’m not that optimistic despite what the Prime Minister says of anything moving very quickly. But on the positive side, the exports are still extremely significant, imports are extremely significant and many major companies are integrated. There may be a German or French company, but they’ve got big investments here, there may be a British company that’s got big investments in Europe and life continues.”
He discussed the EU’s Industrial Accelerator Act and Make UK’s lobbying for the UK to be included.
“I’m actually quite optimistic about more favourable results for the UK being included within whatever agreement is finally reached.”
Despite concerns over costs and profitability, he described the UK manufacturing sector as “good and strong”, with Make UK members reporting healthy order books.
Emissions
CECE’s Technical Forum included a presentation from Debbie Obafemi, Air Quality Manager at the Greater London Authority on its non-road mobile machinery low-emission zone. “And ultimately our ambition is that from 2040 only zero emissions will be permitted across London,” she said.
In her pre-recorded presentation, she acknowledged practical difficulties: “Although the programme has achieved significant results, we still do have some challenges. One of those is the continued use of Stage 3A generators due to reliability and power loading constraints related to Stage 5. The other issue is the higher upfront cost of cleaner technologies, especially electric machinery, and this means that it affects the availability of those technologies within the supply chain.”
Neesha Pandya, Head of Low Carbon Delivery for the Lower Thames Crossing gave a joint presentation with Michael Chester, Zero Emissions Programme Manager, which discussed the project’s use of alternative fuels and zero-emission equipment, including hydrogen where grid connections were unavailable.
“We’re already using hydrogen on our site at the moment where there is no grid, and that is being used to power the electric machines.”
They also shared their advice for organisations introducing zero-emission equipment: “Just get started. Start small, build confidence, and then start working up, because that’s when you do kind of see the mindset changes as well.”
Future skills in manufacturing
Attracting and developing young talent was another important focus. A panel of apprentices and younger graduates, chaired by Ann Watson, Chief Executive Officer of Enginuity Group, said companies should work more closely with schools and be more present on social media, to motivate young people by showing what manufacturing jobs really involve.
The discussion concluded that the sector should challenge outdated perceptions and recruitment practices, highlighting the opportunities young people have to help shape the industry. In a live poll, delegates agreed that the construction machinery sector was not doing enough to engage the next generation.
Read the story on CECE’s website: CECE Congress 2026 calls for a stronger and more competitive European industry
