11:45-12:15
Pre-conference Reception – 5th October 2026
18:30 – 20:00
90 mins
Welcome Reception
We welcome you to meet fellow delegates and speakers in an informal meeting of drinks and light refreshments at the conference hotel, Hotel Football.
Day 1 Conference – 6th October 2026
Time
Duration
Session details & stream breakdowns
08:00 AM – 08:45 AM
45 mins
Registration and hot breakfast rolls
Your first chance to network with delegates over a fresh coffee and hot breakfast rolls
08:45 – 08:55
10 mins
Conference Start
Joseph Paris
President, Operational Excellence Society
08:55-09:30
35 mins
Opening Keynote
Opening Keynote
Dr Markus Grüneisl
Chief Executive, BMW Group UK
09:30-10:30
60 mins
Leadership Keynote
Lessons From the Edge
Aldo Kane
TV Adventurer, Author and former Royal Marine Sniper
By drawing parallels between surviving hostile combat zones and navigating today’s volatile supply chain crises, global trade tariffs, and rapid industry disruptions, Aldo Kane delivers a masterclass in maintaining elite human performance when environments spin out of control.
10:30-10:50
20 mins
Tea/Coffee Networking Break
10:50-11:15
25 mins
Automation & AI Keynote
The AI Revolution: Why Managing People—Not Technology—Will Define Success
Andrew Prescott
Head of Launch Quality Centre, Bentley Motors Ltd
Instead of delivering a standard lecture on technology cost savings, Bentley Motors lifts the impact of human mechanics in managing digital change. Decades ago, manufacturing struggled with the cultural shift toward automation; today, we face comparable hurdles with AI. This session explores how to use AI as a system enabler that strengthens—rather than disrupts—your core operational mindset and excellence models. Drawing on generational research and shop-floor data, Bentley shares its real-world journey towards achieving operator acceptance on the production line
11:15-11:40
25 mins
Automation, AI and Operational Excellence Plenary
The Future of Operational Excellence and AI
Panel discussion chaired by Joseph Paris:
- Garry Ballard, Senior Operational Excellence Performance Improvement Manager, Virgin Media O2
- Andrew Prescott, Head of Launch Quality Centre, Bentley Motors Ltd
- Sanchay Roy, Former GM, Manufacturing Quality & Engineering, Shell, & AI Start-up Co-Founder
Case Study Breakout Sessions
30 mins
Stream A
Make it Simple, Make it Practical, Make it Relevant
Dan Holtby & Simon Lomax
Operations Director & Continuous Improvement Leader, New Balance
Level: Beginner Friendly & Intermediate
The Cultural and Talent Transformation of New Balance. Many continuous improvement initiatives stall when a deeply historical workforce is simply unfamiliar with what modern, optimised operations look like. At New Balance’s Flimby site, a 300-strong team took pride in their craftsmanship but accepted legacy inefficiencies as the norm.
Stream B
Building Supply Chain Resilience and Agility in SMEs
Phil Gibson
EMEA Supplier Development and Performance Manager, Johnson controls
Level: Intermediate & Advanced Insight
Most manufacturers treat supply chain resilience as an expensive insurance policy: stash safety stock, dual-source, and hope for the best. They treat supplier development as a localised quality check. That disconnect is a costly mistake. True operational discipline means recognising that supply chain agility and supplier capability are the exact same conversation. If you aren’t building capability at the source, you aren’t managing risk—you’re just paying to hide it.
12:25-12:55
30 mins
Case Study Presentation
Making Lean Stick in Complex Environments
Frazer Cowe
Global Process Experience Business Partner, Tesco
Level: Beginner Friendly & Intermediate
Many operational excellence leaders share a common dream: moving continuous improvement from a niche support function to the absolute core of the corporate operating system. But when you are dealing with a global footprint of thousands of colleagues, massive process variety, and complex supply chains, how do you prevent your CI program from stalling out?
Case Study Presentation
The Russian Doll Principle: Moving from Chaos to High-Performing Teams
Saj Saddiq
P3 Operating System & Continuous Improvement Director, Tenneco (formerly Federal Mogul)
Level: Intermediate & Advanced Insight
Many complex factories operate in a state of exhausting firefighting, where line stoppages, missing KPIs, and communication breakdowns haemorrhage profits. This session provides the framework for performance turnaround.
12:55-13:45
45 mins
Lunch & Networking Break
13:45-14:35
50 mins
Expert Led Round Table Discussion
Expert Led Round Table Discussion
Our expert led roundtable discussions come with a twist, you will be participating as your table at JTE will have one expert, the rest will consist of you the delegate. The expert will moderate your table, as you discuss your own insights, challenges, and questions relating to your own OpEx journey. This is a great opportunity for each delegate to cultivate relationships with thought leaders, peer experts, and your audience.
14:40-15:10
30 mins
Case Study Presentation
The Digital and Skills Transformation: Aligning People and Automation at Sertec Group
Carl Milbourne, Rachel Starkey & Chris Durrant
Sertec Group
Level: Beginner Friendly & Intermediate
How does a major tier-1 automotive structural manufacturer successfully launch high-volume, automated smart facilities while elevating its workforce culture? Sertec Group, proud winners of the 2024 SMART Factory and 2025 People & Skills MX Awards will share their journey at this year’s JTE Conference.
Case Study Presentation
Operational Excellence in the Carlsberg Britvic Supply Chain
Nicola Starr
Director of Supply Chain Excellence UK, Carlsberg Britvic
Level: Intermediate & Advanced Insight
Details to be announced
Panel Discussion OR Workshop
15:30-16:15
Stream A Panel Discussion
Beyond the Tools: Former Toyota Leaders on Bridging the TPS Culture Gap
Peter McArdle, Kevin Robinson
Former Toyota senior leaders
Level: Beginner Friendly & Intermediate
The Toyota Production System (TPS) is globally renowned as the ultimate framework for operational excellence. Yet, for every success story outside of Toyota, there are countless implementations that fail to deliver sustainable results. This panel discussion will move beyond the superficial application of tools (like Kanban and 5S) to explore the most significant and often-overlooked roadblocks to a true Lean transformation: culture, mindset, and leadership.
Stream B Workshop
The Mirror on the Shop Floor: Confronting the Leadership Behaviors That Break Lean Transformations
Stuart Mitton & Alec Proctor
Senior Lean Coaches, True North Excellence
Level: Beginner Friendly & Intermediate
Every manufacturing leader wants a self-sustaining continuous improvement culture, yet most find themselves stuck in a cycle of constant policing and rolling back to old habits. The missing link is never the tools—it is the leadership behavior that drives them.
16:25-17:10
45 mins
OpEx Keynote
Bridging the Execution Gap: AI, Frontline Wisdom, and How to Make Operational Excellence Stick
Sanchay Roy
Former GM, Manufacturing Quality & Engineering, Shell
Manufacturers rarely fail because they lack strategy or digital tools; they stall in the Execution Gap. Discover how connecting leadership intent with frontline wisdom makes operational excellence stick—and why operational leadership matters more than ever.
17:10-17:30
20 Mins
Chairman's Close
Chairman’s Closing Statement
Joseph Paris, President, Operational Excellence Society
18:45-21:30
Up to you
Evening Dinner
Annual Charity Networking Dinner
Delicious three-course meal with Wine
18:45: Pre-dinner drinks reception
19:30: Dinner and Entertainment
There is no formal dress code. Attendees are encouraged to wear whatever makes them feel comfortable, whether that be jeans or a sparkling dress.
Please note: Delegates attending Day 2 factory tours are responsible for their own transport to the venue and home. If you plan to be a designated driver, please drink responsibly at tonight’s dinner
Day 2 Benchmarking Visits – 7th October 2026
Step off the conference floor and onto the shop floor.
Day Two is dedicated to high-impact, practical learning at some of the region’s most acclaimed manufacturing facilities.
What’s new for 2026
You spoke, we listened. Based on extensive delegate feedback from our previous seven editions, we have completely overhauled the Day 2 format. In the past, valuable benchmarking time was lost to mid-day hotel commutes.
For the 8th Annual Conference, we have extended our site visit durations to give you unprecedented, deep-dive access to the shop floors of national exemplars like Toyota, Siemens, and ROSS Pneumatrol. To maximize your time with host operational teams, delegates will travel independently directly to their chosen host site on Wednesday morning. This allows you to conclude your benchmarking day and depart directly for home or onward travel straight from the facility, saving you hours of backtracking.
PZ Cussons
Manchester
Siemens
Congleton
Expert Technologies Group
Widnes
Toyota Hybrid Engine Plant
Deeside, North Wales
Ross Pneumatrol
Blackburn
Jaguar LandRover
Halewood