Software solutions H behind this growing skills gap.


In the next few years, retaining talent, not just recruiting it, will become a strategic imperative. Large enterprises have the resources to build internal academies that create individual paths and have upskilling and reskilling built into careers, while smaller, agile firms will benefit from the availability to adapt quickly and stay close to new policies and technologies. However, skilled manufacturing will not just hinge on technology and courses. Everyone has a shared responsibility to close the skills gap – from policymakers, to companies and education providers. It is all about helping workers see new paths and connect experience to future roles. When manufacturing is seen as a place where diverse talent can grow, the skills gap will shrink, and the sector will become more resilient.


DO NOT WAIT FOR CERTAINTY Manufacturing’s future will not be decided by a single technology or policy, but by how fast leaders turn today’s uncertainty into practical progress. There is no universal roadmap. A food producer, a pump maker and a pharma plant will not follow the same path. But the future will favour those who experiment early, learn fast and scale what works with discipline to move the business forward.


The next three to five years will reward organisations that build strong data foundations, re-examine their processes, invest in their people and adopt technology with clear purpose. Not because it is fashionable, but because it solves real operational constraints.


Columbus UK www.columbusglobal.com Instrumentation Monthly April 2026


ADVANCED SOFTWARE MAXIMISES TUBE AND WIRE INSPECTION PRODUCTIVITY


exagon has made a major update to its tube and wire inspection software that helps series production lines slash cycle times, with further improvements that optimise the manufacturing processes of electric vehicle components. Integrated support for handheld 3D scanners now extends game-changing tube and wire measurement and process digitalisation capabilities of BendingStudio XT to any metalworking operation to use on a project basis. At the core of Hexagon’s enhanced offering is the TubeInspect system – its purpose-built inspection cell that provides near-instant non-contact inspection of parts directly on the shopfloors of leading global manufacturers. High-speed optical measurement delivers precise results in seconds, ensuring every component meets tight tolerances regardless of shopfloor conditions. The system is engineered to deliver repeatable accuracy even in oily, dusty, or high-temperature environments, benefitting from advanced temperature compensation and ISO 17025-certified calibration.


With the latest release of BendingStudio XT, TubeInspect transforms shopfloor productivity through comprehensive, simultaneous multi-part measurement. Busy manufacturing professionals can now instantly check multiple identical parts, enabling faster quality assurance and efficient batch processing. The system provides an immediate, green, or red-light evaluation, streamlining quality control without requiring deep metrology expertise. It connects directly with existing production systems, offering a highly efficient workflow feeding back real-time correction data to bending machines to reduce waste and control product consistency.


Expanding its capabilities to meet modern automotive production demands, the updated BendingStudio XT now includes specialised correction reports for electric motor hairpins. This targeted functionality ensures that manufacturers producing complex components for the rapidly growing electric vehicle market can maintain strict quality standards and achieve higher precision in their manufacturing processes.


To provide flexible measurement solutions across all levels of production, the new BendingStudio XT software introduces full support for Hexagon’s


handheld 3D scanners. ATLASCAN Pro integration delivers a powerful, entry-level tube and wire measurement solution, enabling smaller companies – or those that need the freedom to measure parts in their installed position – to achieve accurate and reliable measurement without the capital expenditure required for automated series production systems. Large parts such as industrial pipework and extensive exhaust systems can now be measured using Hexagon’s HYPERSCAN handheld 3D scanner, which delivers accuracy in challenging environments. This tube and pipe measurement solution enable operators to take the scanner directly to the part on the shopfloor, ensuring reliable measurement of varied tube geometries of up to 5.5 m length in almost any location, without sacrificing precision. Hexagon continues to reinforce seamless CAD integration within BendingStudio XT to measure the position and orientation of fittings, brackets, and end forms directly against design data with a new CAD Adapter for rectangular profiles such as the busbars used in electric mobility applications. This functionality reduces inspection setup time and gives manufacturers the confidence to verify complex profiles and maintain stringent quality standards and document traceability from design to manufactured part.


“Tube and wire component manufacturers are experts at what they do, and they are grappling with skills shortages to deliver new capabilities – often at the same cost,” comments Christoph Dold, senior product manager at Hexagon, “With this release, our dedicated team of tube and wire measurement experts has shown what can be achieved when expertise, innovation, and passion come together and we look forward to standing by our customers as bits and bytes translate into value in their daily work.” BendingStudio XT is available immediately to customers and anyone with a tube and wire measurement challenge. The easy and flexible deployment of TubeInspect or portable scanner solutions means shopfloor operators can quickly adopt its workflows, minimising any disruption to production and quickly boosting manufacturing productivity.


Hexagon hexagon.com 29


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