Emily Wells-Cole. Photos: Simon Læssøe.
Emily Wells-Cole is on a mission to revitalise the UK’s manufacturing sector. As the Head of the Manufacturing sector in Netcompany UK, she’s convinced the industry can transform through better use of data and smart technology—but the investment and approach must match the ambition.
Not long ago, this joke would have felt misplaced. Europe was once a manufacturing powerhouse. Today, the EU and the UK face significant challenges. The EU still accounts for 18 % of global manufacturing—on par with the United States—but has been stuck in contraction since mid-2022, while the UK has dropped out of the top 10 global manufacturers.
»The reality is that the UK manufacturing sector isn’t efficient. We haven’t invested enough to grow the industry or boost its contribution to UK GDP,« says Emily Wells-Cole.
The slowdown in the UK and European manufacturing sectors could lead to job losses, diminished business confidence, and serious structural issues, as per the EUs recent competition report. But Emily is laser focused on the solution and even sees a unique opportunity for growth.
»Digital transformation can reverse the trend, but it’s also one of the industry’s biggest challenges«, Emily explains. »But recent government incentives for innovation are helping the UK gain traction.«
Emily Wells-Cole
Emily Wells-Cole is passionate about new technology, but without a solid data foundation in manufacturing, innovations like quantum computing and AI will remain just novelties.
The Birth of a Technophile
Emily’s passion for technology began early, growing up in the southeast of England in a home filled with cutting-edge gadgets.
»When nobody else had computers at home, we had these weird devices where you could play maze games,« Emily says.
Emily followed her curiosity, pursuing a business degree which included a year in industry at Sun Microsystems, now part of Oracle.
»It was a tech powerhouse. I remember receiving my first text message about meeting someone—it was so new at the time.«
After five years at Sun, she moved across various tech roles, including 12 years at Microsoft before joining Salesforce and Gartner. At Salesforce, Emily learned an important lesson: success isn’t just about technology—it’s about people.
»I was reminded of the 80/20 rule: 80% of success comes from people, only 20% from tech. Many businesses weren’t seeing the returns they expected because they were focusing too much on technology alone.«
This experience prompted her to seek out a company where she could take a more holistic approach to digital transformation. That’s when she found Netcompany.
With a decades-long career in tech, Emily Wells-Cole is laser-focused on transforming the UK manufacturing sector through technology.
The Smart Factory
Emily joined Netcompany in 2022. Today, her full-time job now is to grow the business in the manufacturing sector, and the growth path is clear—it’s about turning machines into data sources and using that data to improve efficiency and predictability. From sensors on production lines that identify why cookies are burning, to augmented reality goggles that guide technicians through repairs, the possibilities are huge.
But realising this vision isn’t easy.
»The term ‘Smart Factory’ has been around since the early 2000s, evolving into ‘Industry 4.0’ in the 2010s, yet many manufacturers are still weighed down by outdated technology,« Emily notes.
Smaller and mid-sized UK manufacturers often struggle to reach the level of investment and technological maturity needed to adopt smart manufacturing practices. Even large organisations are finding the transformation difficult.
»Quantum computing could eventually bring the power of the cloud to on-premise systems. AI is already making real-time adjustments and optimising production. But without the right approach to digital transformation, these advanced technologies will remain out of reach.«
Principal
Bytes on the battlefield
Emily sees similar challenges in the defence sector, which is also trying to modernise through digital transformation but lacks the coordinated investment needed to succeed.
»We used to be ahead of our adversaries, but we’ve fallen behind,« she observes.
The war in Ukraine, for example, has highlighted the importance of real-time data in modern warfare—from controlling power grids to processing massive amounts of operational data from eg. drones. However, most organisations struggle to turn that data into actionable insights.
The problem, as Emily sees it, is twofold. First, many companies lack a strong data foundation, and second, investments in digital transformation often aren’t coordinated across industries or even within individual organisations.
»In the defence sector, every new project seems to reinvent the wheel,« she says. »How many different identity solutions do they have? It’s one for every implementation because no one is thinking holistically.«
To solve this, Emily advocates for a strategy that focuses on reusing solutions and working together—rather than rushing into the latest shiny new tech.
When Emily’s not working, you’ll often find her with a book in hand—possibly one by William Gibson, one of her favorite sci-fi authors.
Getting to the top of the hill
Emily likens the journey to digital transformation to climbing a hill in military terms.
»You aim to reach the top, but you don’t prescribe the exact path to get there,« she says. »That’s the mindset we need for transforming industries like manufacturing and defence.«
Netcompany might not specialise in production lines, but Emily believes long-term, collaborative partnerships are key to unlocking transformation.
»If we can get those changes right, true transformation is possible,« she says.
