Top 10: Manufacturers in the UK and Europe

In an increasingly competitive market, manufacturers across Europe and the UK are facing digital transformation, changing markets and other challenges. 

To keep up, they must evolve just as successfully as every company that made this top 10. 

This list considers each company's revenue to assess the scale of their manufacturing operations.

Here, Manufacturing Digital takes a look at the top 10 Manufacturers in Europe and the UK.

10. AstraZeneca 

Founded: 1999
Employees: 89,900
CEO: Pascal Soriot
Revenue: US$45.8bn

AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical company which played a significant role in the COVID-19 pandemic, have formed partnerships with the UK government, NHS and across academia. 

The company is the largest pharmaceutical organisation in the UK and is constantly adapting its manufacturing operations to the changing demands of the medical industry.

9. IKEA

Founded: 1943
Employees: 219,000
CEO: Jon Abrahamsson Ring
Revenue: US$50.9bn

A well-established household name, IKEA has proven itself a leader in furniture manufacturing. 

It uses over 1200 local furniture manufacturers globally, including major suppliers across Poland, Italy, Germany and Sweden. 

8. Renault Group

Founded: 1898
Employees: 95,000
CEO: Luca de Meo 
Revenue: US$56.1bn

Renault recently established a world-first for car manufacturing through its new generation fully automated Villeroy logistics facility. 

The Group's sustainability efforts and technological advancements are future-proofing the company, cementing it as one of the top manufacturers in Europe. 

7. Unilever

Founded: 1929
Employees: 128,000
CEO: Hein Schumacher
Revenue: US$63.8bn

Unilever, a company which spans over 80 brands from Cif to Magnum, claim that 3.4 billion people use their products every day. 

This vast reach has established them as a global player with over 280 factories and 57,000 suppliers. 

6. ArcelorMittal

Founded: 2006
Employees: 126,700
CEO: Aditya Mittal 
Revenue: US$68.3bn

ArcelorMittal, a steel manufacturing corporation, operates manufacturers in 15 countries. 

The company made 58.1 million tonnes of crude steel in 2023 and has over a hundred research and development programmes. 

5. BASF

Founded: 1865
Employees: 112,000 
CEO: Markus Kamieth
Revenue: US$73.8bn

BASF have digitised their manufacturing operations, harnessing augmented reality to increase the efficiency of its plants and production processes. 

The company has six manufacturing sites across the UK and 234 production sites worldwide. 

4. Siemens

Founded: 1847
Employees: 320,000
CEO: Roland Busch
Revenue: US$83.3bn

Siemens' headquaters remains in Berlin, where the company was founded, but it now operates in 190 countries and boasts significant UK coverage with over 30 sites. 

The company also leverages artificial intelligence to optimise the control of its manufacturing operations, including Sollas packaging machines, which keeps them ahead of the competition. 

3. Bosch

Founded: 1886
Employees: 427,600
CEO: Stefan Hartung
Revenue: US$98.1bn

In the UK, Bosch boasts 40 sites including 10 manufacturing locations including sites across all four of its sectors; mobility, consumer goods, energy, and building and industrial technologies. 

The company also has significant sites across Austria, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and the Czech Republic. 

2. Nestle

Founded: 1866
Employees: 270,000
CEO: Mark Schneider
Revenue: US$103bn

Nestle, an industry leader in food manufacturing, operates 344 factories over 70 countries.

In the UK, it produces and delivers a range of household brands including Quality Street and Sweet Earth through 12 factories and three distribution centres.

1. Mercedes-Benz

Founded: 1926
Employees: 166,056
CEO: Ola Källenius
Revenue: US$164.4bn

Mercedez-Benz Group AG includes the Mercedez-Benz range and Smart brands.

The company has prioritised a regional approach to sourcing, and operates over 30 production facilities globally to achieve an output of over two million vehicles annually, earning it the top spot on this top 10. 
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