2025 into 2026 – how the Airdri Group is engineering for the future
2025 saw the business world dominated by tariff shocks, political instability, supply-chain pressures and relentless cost demands to name a few of the common challenges. However the Airdri Group of international engineering and manufacturing businesses remained resilient throughout 2025 and is approaching 2026 with confidence and optimism.
With their thoughts on 2025, and 2026 – Airdri Group President and CEO Bruce Philipps, and Chief Operating Officer Stephen Whittall.
2025 was not a straight forward year for businesses. What was it like for the Airdri Group?
Bruce Philipps: ”The turbulence of 2025 did far more than present operational challenges; it opened the door to new opportunities in a group of businesses that embraces change.
“The world now moves very fast – so our planning and decision making needs to be ‘continuous’ as an Executive Team. The array of challenges we faced this year has accelerated some of the areas we need to focus on. If we were really honest with ourselves we were taking too long to make some necessary changes to take the company to the next level.
“A clear example of this is opening our latest production facility in Malaysia. We have been considering this for a number of years but the uncertainty in the global economy meant we had to speed this process up and I’m now really pleased we have some of our products being manufactured in our new state of the art facility in Malaysia as well in China.”
What were the particular product successes in 2025?
Bruce Philipps: “In engineering and R&D terms, our greatest success this year has been the rapid growth in the Curtain of Light 3D business in the North American market. Our existing as well as new customers have been increasing sales in this important sector because simply put our product is the best on the market from a value, reliability as well as ease of installation perspective. We are intending on investing further in this technology over 2026 as part of an expansion in our R&D team based in Oxford.”
How will you maintain your edge in 2026?
Bruce Philipps: “The Airdri Group family of businesses – Airdri, manufacturers of energy-efficient hand dryers; Steraspace, innovative sanitizers; and Formula Systems, sector-leading elevator safety technologies are underpinned by engineering excellence, and operational agility.
“At the Airdri Group we believe 2026 will reward expertise, speed, sustainability and an unstinting focus on making people’s lives better.
“Our R&D and engineering division will continue to innovate in power electronics, in particular energy efficiency. US academic research projects will further demonstrate the incredible efficacy of Steraspace air and surface sanitizers, and the transformational impacts on illness prevention and public health.”
“Materials innovation is an area of focus too alongside increased automation. Companies want productivity gains fast, and our expertise is in demand globally. The transatlantic nature of our businesses allows speed of sales, supply, support and more. Our customers – whether purchasing hand dryers or sanitizers or in the elevator safety sector are buying reliability, longevity and technical depth — and sales and support tailored to them.”
How will you meet increasing customer expectations on sustainability and corporate responsibility?
Stephen Whittall: “We are proud of our sustainability credentials, and we will go further in 2026 through our commitment to the UN Global Compact (UNGC).
“Customer expectations are rightly high. Distributors and end-user businesses demand faster lead times; robust reporting; information and collaboration on design and lifecycle performance of products. We know that our customers’ commitments to sustainable processes have given them a visible competitive edge – and we are here to support them in that.
“Accessibility is also front of mind in all we create; whether that is ensuring all Airdri hand dryers are ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant straight out of the box; or designing sector-leading elevator safety products or creating air sanitizers designed to improve health outcomes through cleaner air.”
How is 2026 looking from an operational stand point?
Stephen Whittall: “Supply chain management shaped 2025 and will be a huge part of 2026.
“2025 was the year in which our 50 year experience of agile supply-chain management really paid us and our customers back. We were able to flex, becoming operational in Malaysia ahead of time, and we deepened ties with suppliers. The result for the Airdri Group of businesses further supply chain resilience heading into 2026.
“Expertise in the real world application of technology will matter in 2026 – especially predictive maintenance and real-time analytics which deliver real, bankable gains for customers.”
Final thoughts on the year ahead?
Bruce Philipps: “Engineering excellence since 1974 – means people. People who are experts in their roles. Experts in engineering, R&D, sales, operations and more.”
“2026 success for us will depend on talent as much as technology. Engineering is arguably one of the world’s most important industrial sectors. Demand for high-quality, resilient, sustainable engineering is rising globally. Demand for great people will continue in 2026.
“We are looking forward to a number of exciting new announcements in 2026, including marking the 40th year of our working relationship with Bobrick, the world’s leading washroom accessories business. Significant investment in R&D will see us expand our sector-leading teams. We will also grow apprenticeship opportunities. We are excited that the Group, via the Peter Philipps Foundation, will launch a unique partnership with the School of Engineering at one of the world’s leading universities.
“2026 is set to be one of the most interesting and exciting in our 50plus year history.”
Comments are closed here.