Editorial of special issue of Production and Manufacturing Research journal

This special ‘Manufacturing Research’ issue of the journal consists of extended version of papers presented at the 12th International Conference on Manufacturing Research (ICMR 2014) which was held on 9–11th September 2014, Southampton Solent University, Southampton, UK. The ICMR is a major event for academics and industrialists who are engaged in manufacturing research. Held annually in the UK since the late 1970s, the conference is renowned as a friendly and inclusive environment that brings together a broad community of researchers who share a common goal; developing and managing the technologies and operations that are key to sustaining the success of manufacturing businesses. For over two decades, ICMR has been the main manufacturing research conference organised in the UK, successfully bringing researchers, academics and industrialists together to share their knowledge and experiences. Initiated as a National Conference by the Consortium of UK University Manufacturing Engineering Heads (COMEH), it became an International Conference in 2003. The ICMR 2014 conference focused on many aspects of product development, manufacturing technologies and systems, information systems and digital technologies. It provided an excellent avenue for researchers to present state-of-the-art multidisciplinary research and exchange ideas through papers on both cutting-edge theoretical manufacturing research and its recent industrial application with the goal of bringing together practical and theoretical knowledge from academic, governmental and industry organisations across the world. The conference also facilitated knowledge exchange and discussion on emerging trends and new challenges in all aspects of product development, manufacturing, product and service engineering.