Manufacturing PR that changes what buyers believe.
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Manufacturing PR
Viva is an award-winning PR agency working with UK manufacturers whose products deserve a better hearing than they’re getting. We build authority in the trade media key buyers actually read, turn your leaders into recognised industry voices, and create the evidence that moves sceptical markets. We navigate complexity. You make progress.
Why manufacturing PR is different
Manufacturers don’t sell on impulse. Your buyers are fleet managers, procurement teams, specifiers and OEM partners. They’re sceptics by nature, they inhabit complex, jargon-filled worlds where the sales cycle runs months or years, and they trust editorial endorsement and peer evidence far more than advertising. Generic consumer PR doesn’t work here. What works is proof, placed where the doubters will find it, on a rhythm the market comes to rely on. Intelligent arguments based on proof points.
Most manufacturers who come to us are stuck on one of three things:
- The market doesn’t know they exist
- The market doesn’t believe their claims
- Or everyone in the sector sounds the same
Each needs a different route, which is why we start with a Discovery Session that maps what’s actually blocking progress before a single word is written.
Our Manufacturing PR Services.
We provide communications support designed around the challenges, opportunities and realities of the manufacturing sector:
- Technical storytelling: Turning complex products, processes and manufacturing expertise into clear, engaging stories that demonstrate what you do, why it matters and the value you deliver.
- Manufacturing media relations: Building relationships with national, regional and specialist trade media to secure meaningful coverage with the audiences that matter to your business.
- Thought leadership: Positioning your people as credible industry experts on the issues shaping manufacturing, from automation and skills to sustainability, supply chains and investment.
- Product launches and innovation: Building awareness around new products, technologies, facilities, machinery and R&D, helping innovation gain the attention it deserves.
- Employer brand and employee voice: Helping manufacturers attract and retain skilled people by showcasing your culture, opportunities and the people behind the business.
- Reputation and crisis communications: Protecting your reputation and preparing you to communicate effectively when challenges arise, from production disruption and supply chain issues to recalls or wider industry scrutiny.
- Market positioning: Differentiating your business in competitive manufacturing and engineering markets, turning technical expertise and capability into a stronger commercial proposition.
Earned media now decides what AI recommends.
Editorial trust counts twice now. When a buyer asks ChatGPT, Claude or Google’s AI to recommend a supplier, the answer is built almost entirely from earned media: Muck Rack’s May 2026 analysis of more than 25 million AI citations found 84% come from earned coverage, not from company websites or advertising.
The trade titles your buyers read are the same sources AI trusts. So the coverage a manufacturing PR programme builds isn’t just visibility with human readers. It’s the raw material AI uses to decide whether your business appears in the answer at all.
CoolKit: making a sceptical market believe in electric
The challenge: CoolKit, the UK’s largest specialist in temperature-controlled van conversions, had invested in EV capability for over a decade, but fleet operators questioned range, payload and reliability.
The insight: the scepticism ran on outdated assumptions, and CoolKit’s UK-first undermounted refrigeration unit was the proof nobody had seen.
The progress: showcases with Fortnum & Mason and Ford Pro, a world-first Kia PV5 conversion, an evidence-led video series, the What Van? Innovation Award 2026, and a market that started searching for electric refrigerated vehicles.
“Viva helped us address industry scepticism directly through strong storytelling, showcasing our customer innovation and findings from the Explorer EV Rally, enabling our message to cut through the cynicism around electrification.”
Daniel Miller, Managing Director, CoolKit
VEKA: sounding like the market leader again.
The challenge: reassert authority in a trade media environment where every competitor claims quality and sustainability.
The insight: authority isn’t won with volume but with editorial trust, built on topic control and a consistent cadence.
The progress: 453 pieces of coverage carrying VEKA’s brand themes with 100% message penetration, across fenestration trade, specifier and regional business media.
“Over the course of the near two-year partnership, Viva became a true extension of our team. The coverage speaks for itself. But it was the strategy, control and understanding of our brand that made the partnership work so effectively.”
Jessica Cooper, Marketing Director, VEKA
Suprafilt: the specialist nobody had heard of
The challenge: excellent, critical work in wastewater aeration that almost nobody knew about.
The insight: in technical B2B markets, buyers follow people they trust, not corporate channels.
The progress: two director-led LinkedIn voices, 22 case studies the sales team now uses in client meetings, every growth target beaten early, and recognition from Suprafilt’s German parent, Aerzen.
“Suprafilt is now referred to as one of the prime examples of what can be achieved with PR by our global owners Aerzen.”
Hannah Nolan, Managing Director, Suprafilt
What does a manufacturing PR programme include?
It depends on what’s stuck, but the building blocks are: a trade media press office, thought leadership and executive profile, potentially a podcast and video series built on real performance data, director-led LinkedIn programmes, case study evidence banks, awards strategy, media training and crisis preparedness, and in-house design.
Every programme is measured against the AMEC framework and Barcelona Principles, baselines first. We never use AVE.
Why Clients Trust Viva.
We’re the UK Small PR Consultancy of the Year 2025 and 2026, as awarded by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
But beyond industry recognition, we’re trusted because we understand that manufacturing communications isn’t about impressing people with technical jargon – it’s about showcasing genuine innovation that creates commercial value.
Whether you’re launching breakthrough products, securing investment or simply want to ensure your technical excellence gets the commercial recognition it deserves, we know how to translate what you do into what people understand and value.
What results can manufacturers expect?
Real numbers from recent manufacturing clients, each independently measurable:
- 453 pieces of earned trade and business media coverage in 22 months for PVCu extrusion market leader VEKA, with 94% positive sentiment, 100% message penetration and a combined audience reach of 122 million.
- 82 pieces of trade coverage across 35 outlets in seven months for temperature-controlled vehicle manufacturer CoolKit, including Fleet News, The Manufacturer and LBC. Branded search rose from near zero to peak Google Trends index, and three qualified leads were attributed directly to the campaign.
- 91,969 video views for The Future’s Electric, the six-part series we created with CoolKit to take real-world EV performance data to sceptical fleet decision-makers.
- 69% LinkedIn follower growth in six months for aeration systems manufacturer Suprafilt, against a target of 20% in twelve. The campaign is already contributing to new project wins.
Need Help With Your Manufacturing Communications? Start With A Conversation.
If your product deserves a better hearing than it’s getting, tell us what’s stuck. We’ll tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.
Frequently Asked Questions About Manufacturing PR:
A manufacturing PR agency builds credibility for manufacturers with the audiences that decide their commercial future: trade media, specifiers, procurement teams, OEM partners and talent markets. At Viva that means earned coverage in the titles buyers read, recognised leadership voices, and evidence-led campaigns that shift what a sceptical market believes.
Properly measured programmes track outcomes, not just outputs: message penetration, sentiment, share of voice, search behaviour, engagement and attributed leads. We measure against the AMEC framework and Barcelona Principles, set baselines before work starts, and report numbers that stand up in a boardroom. We never use advertising value equivalents.
It depends on what’s stuck and what fixing it is worth. A number without context would mislead you in either direction. Tell us the problem instead: a short conversation costs nothing, and we’ll give you an honest view of what it would take and whether we’re the right fit.
Yes. We’re based in Lancashire, and work with manufacturers across the UK and into Europe, including German-owned businesses such as VEKA, Eurofighter and Suprafilt where a parent company needs to see the value of UK communications.
Yes, and more than most tactics. AI assistants build their answers from credible third-party sources: Muck Rack’s May 2026 study of 25 million citations found 84% come from earned media. Coverage in trusted trade titles is what puts a manufacturer into AI-generated answers and recommendations. Generative engine optimisation (GEO) and PR aren’t separate disciplines; earned coverage is the fuel.