The Manufacturing Club

Club History

When St Neots Initiative was established in 1998 as the St Neots Town Centre Management Group it sought funding from both high street businesses and edge-of-town manufacturers. By 2003, the group had several manufacturing members and sought to repay their support by creating a Manufacturing Club in collaboration with the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) at Cambridge University. 

The Manufacturing Club now has a diverse mix of members, including multinational corporations like ABB Automation, Bosch Rexroth, SealedAir, and RWE, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. The Wyboston Lakes Training and Leisure Complex is also a strong supporter of the Club. Meetings are held regularly, three to four times a year, with larger Club members rotating as hosts and providing technical support and lunch.

The Club has established partnerships with organizations like the IfM, Make UK, Anglia Ruskin University, local authorities, and the Combined Authority. Today, the Club has 26 members, 12 close partners, and another 8 bodies in its network. 

The Club’s speaker presentations focus on topics such as addressing skills issues, emerging technologies like 3D printing, laser technology, and energy technologies like hydrogen and nuclear fusion, and addressing climate change. It also covers local economic developments and strategies, and local community issues. Despite the impact of the global pandemic, the Club members were active during the lockdown and have come back even stronger, continuing to address industry challenges both present and future. 

About Club Meetings

Meetings are held three times year, four if required.  The content starts at 11.00 am to allow for networking and then moves into the main meeting to address key issues and hear from key speakers.  This includes refreshments and lunch.  The day ends approximately at 3.00 pm.