Inside ETG North West: Highlights from Our Widnes Open Day 2026

12 Oct Inside ETG North West: Highlights from Our Widnes Open Day 2026

On Thursday 8 October 2026, Expert Technologies Group opened the doors of its North West facility in Widnes for a material handling open day. Twenty-five delegates from manufacturers, logistics operators and aerospace joined us to see our technology running live and meet the engineers who design and build it.

The open day was a chance to show the role our Widnes site plays within the group, and how ETG supports manufacturers across the whole production line, from automation to the systems that keep products moving.

What delegates saw on the day

Alongside our material handling and conveyor systems, delegates saw a range of ETG standard products in action:

• FlexDrive AMRs (autonomous mobile robots): each carries its own roller conveyor and docks directly with a production cell to deliver and collect totes of parts
• FlexCell: our modular manufacturing platform, which houses a robot inside an enclosed, guarded cell and can be reconfigured quickly as products and processes change
• Aviation conveyor lanes: for baggage handling
• Operator guidance smart benches: workstations that guide operators step by step to reduce errors and training time

The tour took delegates through our design office, fabrication and assembly areas, and the live demonstration zone, with engineers on hand at every stop to explain how each system works and where it is used.

“Open days like this let people see the technology working, not just read about it. From autonomous mobile robots to modular manufacturing platforms, everything on show today was designed to make production more flexible, more connected and easier to scale. It was great to hear delegates already thinking about where it could fit in their own operations.” Danny De Angelis, Technology Director, Expert Technologies Group

Meeting Geoff the robot

One of the most popular stops of the day was Geoff, a robot kindly provided by the Virtual Engineering Centre at the University of Liverpool.

One group, the whole production line

The open day highlighted what makes ETG different: the ability to support manufacturers across almost every stage of production. From special purpose machinery and complete automated lines to the material handling systems that connect them, customers can work with one group that understands the full picture.

Thank you, and what comes next

A huge thank you to the ETG team who prepared the demonstrations, led tours and answered questions throughout the day. Thank you also to every delegate who chose to spend their day with us.

This was the first of several open days we are planning across our sites, and we hope to hold the next one at our headquarters in Coventry.

Couldn’t make it this time? Get in touch with our team to arrange a visit to our Widnes facility and see our material handling and automation systems for yourself.