As the manufacturing sector accelerates its transition to a sustainable, digitally integrated future, the role of the engineer has never been more vital. At Unipart, success is driven by the next generation of engineering leaders whose journeys showcase the dynamic opportunities within the industry.
Nicholas Hugill, Unipart Technology Transformation Manager, embodies this evolution. Nicholas started his Unipart journey in 2014 as a student at the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME), Unipart’s unique collaboration with Coventry University. His passion, he explains, began simply: “I’ve always been interested in understanding how things work and how things are made.”
After quickly completing his studies, Nicholas advanced from a Graduate Engineer managing continuous improvement projects to a Manufacturing Engineer delivering complex new product programmes. His career accelerated further in 2022 when he became a Lead Systems Engineer at Hyperbat, Unipart’s high-performance battery systems joint venture, implementing smart manufacturing techniques. This blend of digital innovation and advanced manufacturing capability is central to Unipart’s strategy to strengthen UK supply chain resilience and scale sustainable technologies. Today, as Technology Transformation Manager, he is responsible for delivering a standard and joined-up technology approach for growth across the business.
For Nicholas, the speed of change in his career reflects the increasing demands placed on the industry as a whole. “The world of manufacturing has moved beyond simply making components; it’s now about systems engineering and strategic resilience,” he notes. “Modern manufacturing faces numerous challenges, including the need for rapid innovation, sustainable practices, and cost-effective production, and it’s the engineer’s responsibility to solve them.”
Nicholas believes Unipart’s role is critical in addressing this new mandate: “At Unipart, we combine deep engineering and manufacturing capability to design, make, move, and improve for our customers to help them stay competitive and agile. Whether it’s scaling production, integrating new technologies, or navigating supply chain disruptions, we design and deliver intelligent solutions that create lasting impact.
“The industry must stop treating manufacturing as a fixed process and start treating it as a dynamic, intelligent system. We need to deliver end-to-end production with built-in resilience and quality, moving beyond simply reacting to problems. A key aspect of this is moving beyond basic automation to genuine digital integration to ensure we get the most out of today’s technology.
“There is also a huge challenge in decarbonisation. As engineers, we need to embed sustainable practices from the very start. The future requires scalable, sustainable manufacturing solutions, from electrification and complex assembly to using low-carbon materials. Engineers, not just policymakers, can deliver the race to net zero.”
For Nicholas, the future is clear: “The job of the engineer is now fundamentally about driving transformation through technology to ensure a sustainable future. I’m really excited about having the opportunity to play a role in bringing this vision to life at Unipart.”