Telford-based automation specialist joins forces with global technology firm to address growing threat to UK manufacturers

Midlands engineering specialist Transicon is partnering with Siemens to offer SME manufacturers expert guidance on operational technology (OT) cyber security, with a free webinar set for July 21 as part of its Industry Masterclass series.

The session comes as new data from security firm ESET reveals the scale of the threat facing UK manufacturers. According to the ESET for Manufacturing report, 78% of UK manufacturers experienced a cybersecurity incident in the last 12 months, with 95% reporting business disruption as a result.

Three-quarters experienced between one and seven days of production downtime, while over half faced financial losses exceeding £250,000.

The gap between IT and OT security

Despite the scale of the risk, only 22% of manufacturing organisations assign cybersecurity responsibility to board or executive leadership, with 55% leaving it to IT teams.

Transicon senior project engineer Niall Sephton said: “One of the biggest issues we encounter is manufacturers assuming that because their IT security is in good shape, their operational technology is covered too. It isn’t.”

Siemens cybersecurity and networking sales specialist Marie Aylward said: “For many SMEs, that is not yet happening. This masterclass is about helping manufacturers understand the full picture and giving them a practical route forward.”

The free webinar is open to operations managers, engineering managers, production leaders and anyone with responsibility for manufacturing system security.

Registration is open at us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register.