Sponsor Q&A: DXC Technology - Digitalisation can sound quite daunting, but it’s about thinking big and starting small

We are delighted to welcome DXC Technology as a gold sponsor of Digitalising Manufacturing 2018.

We spoke to Barry Maybank, UK Account Executive at DXC Technology, to find out more about DXC and get his thoughts ahead of the 2018 conference.

Tell us more about DXC Technology
DXC Technology is the world’s leading independent, end-to-end IT services provider. We specialise in technology-enabled solutions that drive digital transformation.

Formed through the merger of CSC and the Enterprise Services business of HPE, we have a deep heritage in research and development, innovation, and designing, implementing and running enterprise-scale systems and services. We are very much a digital-first company, meaning we apply an agile approach to realise value quickly.

DXC has a significant global footprint in manufacturing organisations. In the UK we partner with large and small manufacturers, providing everything from traditional services to Industry 4.0 transformations (including the move to fully digital platforms and providing innovative solutions built on these platforms).

What does that mean for our clients? Digital solutions can be complex, bringing together contemporary approaches like design thinking/minimum viable products with the ability to implement and integrate new systems with older systems and data. DXC is uniquely positioned to support organisations end to end through our enterprise approach and scale, coupled with our ability to innovate at speed. 

We have recently joined the MTC and formed a collaboration with the MTC’s Digital Programme to offer UK manufacturers the opportunity to review their digital maturity and create a path to a digitally enabled manufacturing business: http://www.the-mtc.org/news-items/dxc-technology-joins-mtc

What business challenges does DXC help manufacturing clients overcome?
Business challenges have changed greatly in recent years. It used to be as simple as automating to save money. Now digitalisation has:

• Enabled the innovation of new products and services to new markets. 
• Helped drive the continued increase in quality and efficiency across the whole supply chain and production process. 
• Transformed the back office, where manual processes were the norm.
• Transformed the front-line engagement of partners and customers, and fostered better engagement with employees, especially in operational environments.

Most organisations don’t really know where to go next on their digital journeys, or how to undertake the next steps.

I mentioned the tie-up with the MTC: We have a digital diagnostic that we are offering to manufacturing organisations to help them develop a coherent high-level strategy and roadmap — one that identifies and describes how to start and where to go next.

How is Industry 4.0 affecting the UK manufacturing landscape?
The impact of Industry 4.0 is really now starting to be felt in the UK. Manufacturers are under real pressure to understand how to start or better deploy the capabilities that Industry 4.0 brings.  Digitalisation can enable significant competitive advantage through improved productivity and some organisations have now started on this journey - whilst many are still assessing what they should focus on as a priority.  For the vast majority of manufacturers, it’s too big an elephant to eat in one go, so many are looking at smaller first steps.  A smart factory environment can bring improved production efficiencies, enhanced time to market, reduced cost of failures or improved knowledge and knowledge sharing – and for different organisations, focusing on any one of these business outcomes can prove to be the right starting point.

Tell us more about the technology workshop you'll be running at the conference.
We will be showcasing technology around augmented and virtual reality, focussing on how these capabilities can support the business of maintenance, remote and field workers. We will be bringing to life a real-world example of the use of digital technology to improve business outcomes.

What is a good example of a manufacturing business you have helped?
One example is a manufacturer of optical lenses and eye glasses that was experiencing a certain failure rate in its lens production. The client enlisted DXC Technology to use digital techniques of real-time data and analytics to analyse how to reduce the failures and increase efficiency.

The manufacturer produces a large variety of spectacle lenses every day, and throughout the product cycle several challenges may arise:

• Lenses may require multiple passes through the production cycle, resulting in additional production costs for each lens.
• Lens parameters such as surfacing, tinting, coating, edging and finishing are defined with order entry.
• Differences in lens geometry, machine behaviour, shift variances and suppliers need to be taken into account.

In order to reduce the number of passes needed to manufacture lenses, DXC proposed a solution to collect, measure and intelligently analyse real-time data generated at various sources across all phases of production — from raw glass to shipping. 

At the heart of this solution is the secure Industry 4.0 platform, which enables data to be combined from both information technology (IT) as well as operation technology (OT) sources. 

In this case, the machine, sensor and other shop-floor data came from an enterprise resource planning system, manufacturing execution system, business warehouse and calculation systems. When combined onto a real-time analytics platform, clients can benefit from the real-time cycle of detect/analyse/act/respond and fix, thus creating the possibility of a self-healing process in any sub-segment of the lens production.

What advice would you give to a company looking to start their digitalisation journey?
Digitalisation can sound quite daunting, but it’s about thinking big and starting small — laying the enterprise guard rails but delivering value early, so the organisation can quickly see value before scaling the solution and services. And this advice applies equally to SMEs as well as global enterprises. 

What are you looking forward to most at Digitalising Manufacturing 2018?
This year it’s all about “grasping the opportunity” — making the Made Smarter vision real. Doing so requires collaboration between manufacturers, innovators and eco-systems to drive the adoption of digital transformation to deliver business value. So DXC is looking forward to seeing and contributing some of the “how” — the real stories and the enablers to making it real in a successful and sustainable way. 

This technology-enabled change is really what DXC is about. So, this is a must-support event for us. 
We are looking forward to continuing our conversations with UK manufacturers about how we can help them on their journeys.

Sponsor Q&A: Festo - equipping the UK workforce for the changes that will come with digitalisation

We are delighted to welcome Festo as our first sponsor for Digitalising Manufacturing 2018.

We spoke to Steve Sands, Head of Product Management at Festo GB, to get his thoughts ahead of the 2018 conference.

Tell us more about Festo
Festo is a leading international supplier of automation technology and is a proven innovator and problem solver in the field of pneumatic and electrical automation where it has established itself as the performance leader. Festo offers over 30,000 pneumatic and electric products for factory and process automation technology which can be tailored to specific customer needs in a variety of modular programs. Festo Training & Consulting specialises in the development of people, organisations and technology skills. Offering a range of open courses, structured development programmes and tailor-made, customer-specific projects. Festo Didactic Services offers a wide range of training equipment and materials.

Festo has engaged with the Industry 4.0 initiative from its inception: as a user, manufacturer and trainer.  Appointed by the German government as a member of the steering group the company has taken an active role in the definition of the core standards such as the RAMI model and the Administration Shell.  Festo Didactic has also developed the Industry 4.0 Cyber-Physical Factory training hardware installed in many leading universities and training centres, as well as Industry 4.0 training courses covering the strategic overview for change managers and practical workshops for employees. Industry 4.0 technologies such as OPC-UA communications are embedded in the latest generation products.

What are you looking forward to most at Digitalising Manufacturing 2018?
The coming together of the high level experts with their diverse viewpoints to understand where GB is in the Industry 4.0 / 4IR journey.  What is the cutting edge and what is the reality?

How is Industry 4.0 affecting the UK manufacturing landscape?
Interest in digitalisation has grown enormously in the last two years.  Before it was often treated with suspicion as nothing more than a marketing hype.  However, the conversations have now become a lot more considered and whilst real implementations utilising the standards within Industry 4.0 are still very limited many large end-users are considering pilot applications or proof of concept demonstrators.  In turn, equipment manufacturers are bringing smart products from the prototype labs into real world products.  It is an evolution that requires a certain degree of synchronicity – sufficient investment and inertia from lead end users, their OEMs and component suppliers committed to develop pilot machines and applications.  I feel this inertia is building and will start to be realised within 2018 and growing rapidly beyond that.

What do you see as the UK’s role in developing digital technologies?
From a strategy perspective GB is starting from some way behind countries such as Germany.  However, this is a not a one or two year development and there is time to learn from the best examples and to find a way to incorporate our areas of strengths into our own interpretation.  A lot of basic groundwork on standards and models has been done in these early stages.  I believe GB can bring to bear strengths in areas such as telecoms innovation, artificial intelligence and visualisation to make a strong contribution to the international I4.0 community allowing us to influence further developments and ensure we secure for the UK a good proportion of the employment and revenue opportunities from digitalization.

As a past sponsor, what have you gained from previous conferences?
The chance to hear first-hand the leaders in digitalisation and to network with the very wide range of stake holders from academia to politicians and the leading manufacturers from home and abroad.  We have invested in the latest I4.0 training and technology demonstrating hardware and this forum provides the opportunity for the delegates to see the possibilities and hopefully to collectively ensure our higher education and university sectors have the resources to invest in this type of technology so that our workforce are equipped for the changes that will come with digitalisation.

Getting ahead with digital transformation

The latest Director’s Forum Dinner saw senior managers from across industry come together to discuss the exciting challenges UK manufacturing business face on their “digital voyage”.

Organised by The Manufacturer, and co-hosted by Cisco and Tech Mahindra, the evening’s discussion offered attendees invaluable advice on how to start a safe, effective digital transformation, as well as how to identify potential quick wins and network legacy equipment.

Richard Grainger, Industrial & IoT networking lead at Cisco, got the ball rolling by noting:

“At such an occasion, it is tempting to elaborate on IoT solutions and environments, but from Cisco’s perspective, it is far more interesting to speak about culture and innovation; how can a company drive these two factors in its business framework?”

To read the full article from the Manufacturer, click here.

Sponsor Q&A: OutSystems - digital disruption is both a huge opportunity and an existential threat

What do OutSystems do?

OutSystems is the industry leading low-code platform. Simply put, low-code provides a visual, model-based approach for building software systems that is at least four times faster than traditional programming. The platform is quick to learn and provides industrial-strength integration, scale. and security. Businesses use OutSystems to rapidly configure IOT, mobile, and web-based solutions to meet almost any manufacturing or business requirement.

Why is this relevant to digital manufacturing today?

The pace of innovation in the digital economy has no historical precedent. As the Made Smarter report puts it, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution is evolving at an exponential rather than a linear pace.” Digital disruption is both a huge opportunity and an existential threat. So, the challenge for manufacturers is to seize innovation opportunities before competitors do. Slow, risk-averse IT practices hold back innovation, making businesses vulnerable to more nimble competitors. Frankly, that’s happening in all sorts of industries, where digital newbies are eroding market share and profitability of much larger, long-established businesses.

Where would manufacturing clients apply this? 

OutSystems can be used to build almost any kind of web or mobile software application.
The enterprise-strength integration of OutSystems makes it a perfect fit for industrial digital opportunities:
•Real-time IOT device monitoring and performance management •Connecting manufacturing plant and other assets to central management systems
•Extending ERP and manufacturing systems
•Mobile apps for engineers, the factory floor, service reps, and sales people
•Self-service portals and mobile apps for employees, suppliers, customers, and partners all along the value chain

What business challenges does OutSystems help manufacturing clients overcome?

What is a good example of a manufacturing business you have helped?

Logitech built 80 new applications on the OutSystems platform with only 4 developers. Many of these apps were built in as little as two weeks, and updates can be deployed almost instantly.

“Since adopting OutSystems, our internal customers have learned they need to stay involved. The old days of handing over a large requirements document and waiting months are gone. Once development starts, we expect our customers to be available to review and test. Creating low-code apps is a partnership where everyone needs to stay committed and involved.”

- Steven Schmidt, Enterprise Collaboration Manager, Logitech

To find out more about OutSystems, click here 

Presenter Q&A: Marcus Burton, Director, Yamazaki Mazak

Marcus Burton Q&A

A brief introduction to Marcus Burton

Marcus Burton joined Yamazaki Mazak as Group Business Development Director for Europe in October 2005

After gaining a first class honours degree in Production Engineering and a Masters degree in Machine Tool Technology from the University of Birmingham, he entered the metrology industry, including 15 years with Brown and Sharpe (USA) as a General Manager and Director of a number of European subsidiary companies

Mr Burton has extensive board level experience in Business Development and Strategy including international acquisitions and post merger integration and has also worked as an independent consultant in strategic management

He was appointed Managing Director of Yamazaki Mazak U.K. Ltd in October 2007 and European Group Managing Director in January 2010 responsible to Japan for all Mazak's European operations including Manufacturing, Engineering and the European Sales and Service subsidiary companies.

In April 2017 Mr Burton took on the new role of non-executive Director of Yamazaki Mazak UK Ltd, with specific interest in future business strategy and external relations which has taken on more significance since the decision of the UK to leave the European Union

Mr Burton is also a board member of the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) and is Chairman of the Economic Committee of CECIMO, the European Association representing the common interests of the Machine Tool Industry.

How has Industry 4.0 affected Yamazaki Mazak?

Yamazaki Mazak is a leader in the development of Machine Tool Technology to help businesses improve their manufacturing productivity. We were the pioneers of “Conversational” CNC programming which made the technology accessible for even the smallest of businesses; we also introduced the concept of “multitasking” in a serious way with our Integrex range of “Done in One” machines. But what people do not always appreciate is that we have been the leader in the manufacture of machine tools and components, being one of the first companies to utilise Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) as well as developing the Cyber Factory concept more than twenty years ago using connectivity and machine monitoring to improve productivity. Industry 4.0 has motivated us to take our concepts further by utilising more sensors, computing power and data collection. We are reinvesting in our manufacturing operations globally to implement the Mazak iSmart Factory concept which is already in operation in Japan and USA. We believe our concept will allow even the smallest companies to benefit from the 4th Industrial Revolution just as we did with the early CNC technology.

As well as affecting our internal operations we have made a significant investment in the new “Smooth” control system for all our machines. As well as giving significant improvements in productivity the control has maximum connectivity and can host third party applications. The “Smooth” control is truly I4.0 ready.

Which technologies will be at the forefront of Industry 4.0 and what impact will they have?

There are five technologies that are usually quoted as being at the heart of I4.0. I will comment on each one as they affect our business, however I am more of the opinion that it is the integration and combining of technologies that will give maximum benefit than each one individually.

The first is Robotics and Automation Mazak has successfully integrated robot technology in its plants and installed many integrated machine tool and robotic systems across Europe. The difference today is that newer systems have the sensors and control technology to work alongside operators in a collaborative fashion. I think the implementation of “Cobots” alongside traditional work will increase the acceptance and adoption of the technology across many different industries. I do not think we should fear job losses through automation. My experience is that continuous improvements in productivity allow companies to grow ultimately employing more people even if the skills requirements will demand a much bigger investment in training and up-skilling the existing workforce.

Additive Manufacturing is the second technology that will have a massive impact, in particular when the next generation of designers will have the confidence to exploit the unique characteristics of the technology in design. At Mazak we have introduced a range of hybrid machine tools that can use metal powders for additive manufacturing combined with traditional metal cutting. This is an extension of our “Done in One” multitasking concept.

Connectivity, big data, wireless communications will all be critical in creating the industrial internet of things (IIoT). As I mentioned Mazak already developed the iSmart factory concept which can act as an element in a wider connected manufacturing system The Industrial Internet of Things will force companies to collaborate across the value chain in order to obtain the significant efficiency improvements on offer. This will challenge how companies trust each other and share information. In my opinion this could have the biggest impact.

There is a lot of mainstream news attention on Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR & AR) as there are number of simulation and consumer entertainment applications that are exciting the general population. Within industry, however, the technology will be used seriously as part of a wider digitalisation programme from design through to manufacture through to product service. As these digital models and “digital twins” become more available VR and AR applications will find even more industrial use. At Mazak we are planning trials using AR as part of a 5G test bed consortium where we will require real time reliable communications for success.

The final I4.0 technology is Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Analytics (AI). As I mentioned I do not see these technologies in isolation and as we develop further capabilities in AI and Data Analytics this will impact every aspect of our lives. The Smart Factories will be able to accommodate intelligent and autonomous material handling and logistics systems, be capable of predicting failures and planning corrective action in advance. The products we will develop will be capable of more sophisticated interaction with each other to optimise the performance of complete systems.

As someone who was involved in the Made Smarter Review, what impact do you think the review has had on industry since its launch?

I think the Made Smarter Review has highlighted the opportunities we have as a country to leapfrog our current productivity issues by developing a strategy for Industrial Digitalisation. The review has rightly praised what we have already in place in the UK as a foundation to build a digital strategy, but has also focussed on the need to coordinate and drive our ambition to be a leader in this area. Of great concern was to have a strategy that supports the inclusion of smaller businesses to engage and invest in digital technology. To do this we need an eco-system that all companies can access for the help they need. We need remove the barriers to adoption of digital technologies and to take seriously the necessity to up-skill our industrial workers. And finally we need stronger leadership at national level to project the UK as an international leader and inspire the UK population to embrace rather than fear the opportunities digitalisation offers. We are still engaging with government on the agenda, but the reaction I have had from industry has been supportive of the need to make sure digitalisation is a cornerstone of the Industrial Strategy.

What do you see as the UK's role in developing digital technologies?

The UK has technological leadership in a number of areas and has internationally respected academic and research establishments that will continue to have an impact. The UK also has an excellent track record in business start-ups where finance can be raised. What the UK has not been so good at is the adoption and implementation of developed technology. Personally I would like to see the UK become a leader in the implementation and adoption of the technologies with significant involvement in the development of standards and a practical legal framework for digital that will help remove some of the barriers.

What are you looking forward to most at the conference?

The conference will bring together knowledge from different business sectors, academia, or international perspective which can challenge the conventional wisdom. I always like to be challenged and use other people’s perspectives to help develop my own judgements about the future. However, despite bold statements and predictions by experts and those like me that have useful experience in a specific industry, the future will probably turn out to be something rather different than we predict. How exciting is that?

What digital technology has had the most impact on your life, professionally or personally?

I would have to go back to the development of the micro-processor. My father was an electrical engineer and when I was at school he made me aware of the impending micro-processor revolution. He obtained a simple educational development kit to sequence light emitting diodes using assembler language. As a result I was hooked on programming! When I completed my first degree he purchased a BBC microcomputer and I used this in my first industrial job to automate some routine processes. This immediately got the attention of the Managing Director which probably kick-started my career.

It is interesting to look back at some of the predictions we made about the future back then. The microprocessor revolution, it was confidently stated, will create “a world of leisure”, less working time, more holidays, more free time. I remember the French reduced the working week in bold anticipation of the new world and they have suffered ever since! As we all know the actual outcome was somewhat different.

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Presenter Q&A: Chris White, Director, Institute for Industrial Strategy, King's College London

Chris White Q&A

A brief introduction to Chris White

I started my role at King’s in May and since then I have been busy developing the Institute; recruiting a team and building relationships both internally and externally. This is an amazing opportunity to better understand this hugely complex area of policy and help develop and shape the emerging strategy.

My passion for this subject developed before I was an MP and worked at MG Rover at its Longbridge plant. I am also interested in the potential that can be achieved through procurement, not least with my Private Member’s Bill becoming an Act, legislation which is already having a significant impact on the communities where it is being applied.

You recently set up the Institute for National Strategy at King’s College London – what work is the institute doing in digital manufacturing?

The Institute is developing its portfolio, with productivity being one of many priorities, but it has a position of advantage, being based in academia, in central London, with the opportunity to hear expert opinion on how we can make a sustainable and step change in this stubbornly flat-lining area of concern. Digitalisation will provide the boost, but the national agenda needs to be much more receptive and willing to adopt the recommendations in the review for the economy to reap the rewards.

Having launched at last year’s conference, a big part of discussion this year will be the Made Smarter Review – what impact do you think the review has had on UK industry so far?

The review has made a good start, was welcomed by industry, but it demands a cultural change which will take a great deal of investment in time, energy and finance, for it to fully achieve its ambition. But there will come a tipping point, whether through global competition or other domestic shocks, where demand will grow exponentially.

What role does the UK have to play in developing digital technologies?

The UK has a world class reputation for its research and development, and its universities continue to play a leading role in terms of technologies such as 5G, AI and automation. Catapult centres such as the MTC have created environments where new processes and techniques can develop at an accelerated and enviable rate. We are well placed to develop these technologies, but must continue to make our claims to potentially leading this sector, without slipping back through complacency…as our paper described, ‘creating, not picking, winners’.

What are you looking forward to most at this year’s conference?

I attended this conference in 2017, and this year I look forward to hearing even greater ambition for the sector and the significant role it plays both locally and nationally, and how it will grow through the technologies being described.

Which digital technology has had the biggest impact on your life – professionally or personally?

And to which digital technology has had the biggest impact on my life…I would say connectivity…sometimes unnecessary, but mostly a huge benefit!

Presenter Q&A: Terri Tuson, Founder, Eluceo

Terri Tuson Q&A

Tell us more about yourself and Eluceo

Eluceo was born out of the frustration I and my peers faced when leaving education. I left sixth form and attended university having had no one-to-one discussion regarding what career I might be suited to and what I might enjoy as a career, and even what careers were available to me.

After graduating with a degree in Psychology, my first job was as an editorial assistant in a scientific journal and I worked there for a couple of years. I returned to university to do a Master’s, thinking that I might like to go into science communication or science journalism (something slightly less dry than ac-ademic journals) and found the careers service there not much better. The advice given to me was: ‘We can only help you if you know what you want to do. Decide what you want to do and come back to us’. I, however, wanted some help with understanding what options were open to me.

After a failed attempt at getting a career off the ground, Eluceo was established. As a social enterprise, its primary goal is to help people understand how to navigate this complex arena of education into employment and what the careers landscape looks like. Eluceo does this in two ways: firstly through a digital platform and secondly by working with schools.

Eluceo runs projects in local schools to help students understand what careers are out there, what working life is really like and what they might be good at. Employers sponsor a school and help these students understand their industry and the careers within it. We focus on STEAM (Science, Technolo-gy, Engineering Arts and Maths), especially emerging technologies, as this is where the future jobs are and where these students are likely to find work. Furthermore, this work will be interesting, fulfilling and challenging. Our projects are accredited by the Industrial Cadets scheme, an initiative inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales.

Getting older and more experienced, it’s become more apparent that understanding the education and careers landscape is not just for young people straight out of education: it’s also for ‘older’ people whose jobs have been replaced by automation, for parents who want to re-enter employment after a career gap and for anyone who wants to embark on a 3600 career change. This is especially true in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where the upskilling and re-skilling is paramount to business and individuals.

This is why Eluceo is currently developing an app, iShine, to help people roadmap their education into employment. At a younger age, it helps students understand what careers are out there, what they might be good at and enjoy, and what steps they need to take in order to gain employment in that ca-reer. For those in work, it can help them identify ways to progress or change career, or if they are out of work help them identify what skills they’ll need to re-enter the job market either in their previous em-ployment or in something completely new.

What are you looking forward to most at the conference?

I’m most looking forward to see how far the adoption of IDTs by SMEs has come since the Made Smarter report last year. As I am primarily interested in the skills and development arena, I’m also look-ing forward to the updates on these: it will be interesting to see how the mapping of career pathways has advanced, the progress they’ve made on this and the stumbling blocks they faced.

What do you think are the barriers to talent and society within the fourth industrial revolution?

Starting on a positive note, the young people I work with couldn’t be a more talented generation, however they need encouragement to understand where their talent lie, and how this might fit into working life and a specific industry. They also need to understand how to get to where they want to go.

From an employers’ perspective, I’ve found a lack of willingness to engage with young people and give them insight into their industry. I understand that employers often don’t have the time and/or resources to engage with young people, especially SMEs, and that in these uncertain times they are less sure about their investments and their future, but employers need to be more proactive.

From an education perspective, unfortunately there’s little interest in employment outcomes and the skills needed for employment, and this lack of interest is getting worse. For example, at GCSE level, schools are now measured only on academic subjects, leaving some very important subjects such as Art & Design, Design & Technology, Music etc to be dismissed, hence fewer schools are teaching these subjects. Furthermore, the curricula of these academic subjects is tailored towards students who are able to memorise and rote learn, having cut out most practical assessment. This perspective fails to take into account the ability of those who learn and perform better under different measures, and those whose talents lie beyond the purely academic realm.

On top of this, students are under more pressure than ever to do well at school and having young peo-ple think they’ve failed at the first hurdle is a recipe for disaster. It gives them a lack of confidence to move forward with their career and education, and makes them less likely to achieve what they are ac-tually capable of. This is especially true of more vulnerable students who have less support at home and are less traditionally academically inclined.

Additionally, students have less opportunity to find out about working life as there’s no mandatory work experience, and services such as Connexions have been cut, which previously offered information, ad-vice, guidance and support, including careers, for young people aged thirteen to nineteen.

I appreciate that the government has introduced T-levels on par with current A-levels, and industry standards in apprenticeships, but many young people and their parents are yet to see the benefits of these vocational qualifications.

This is in part because the general public has limited understanding of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and how it will disrupt current business models and have a profound impact on the skills and employ-ment landscape. More work needs to be done from government and employers to show how vocational qualifications and on-the-job training can offer a rewarding career.

How important is talent to manufacturing?

I expect the definition of ‘talent’ used here has more to do with skills. Having a workforce with the right skills is critical to manufacturing.

The current skills shortage is widely reported in the UK. The Made Smarter review actually hits the nail on the head in saying that the UK is prevented from fulfilling its vision of becoming an IDT leader as it’s ‘hindered by a fragmented skills system and a lack of systematic engagement between education and industry’. Perhaps more important that talent per se, is the creation of talent pipeline from those still in school to those currently in manufacturing whose jobs are going to automation. The industry needs to value and nurture these individuals, look towards their long-term goals and support lifelong learning.

The talent pipeline could also be improved by:

• employers carrying out training needs analysis to identify the skills they need for their enterprise and train their staff accordingly.
• encouraging more girls into engineering. I know a lot of work is being done in this area.
• looking at new and imaginative ways to provide digital training, an example of this can be seen by the work of PONToon led by Portsmouth University. PONToon – Partnership Opportunities using New Technologies Fostering SOcial and EcOnomic InclusioN – is a project that focusses on up-skilling women in order to support their economic inclusion, via a fusion of digital technologies and creative industries. The project aims to produce a methodology that’s not only scalable and transfer-rable but also applicable to the general workforce.
• providing better support to job clubs and youth charities working with unemployed people – giving them quality training and work experience to get them back to work.

What digital technology has had the most impact on your life, professionally or personally?

Where do I start? Can I say the internet? In a perfect world, the internet gives us the ability to democratise education and lets people throughout the world learn what, when and wherever they want. We are not quite there yet.

To read more about the work Eluceo is doing, please click here.

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Sponsor Q&A: Omron - not an 'on' or 'off' button

We are delighted to welcome Omron as Gold Sponsors for Digitalising Manufacturing 2018

We heard from Dan Rossek, Omron Marketing Manager, ahead of the Digitalising Manufacturing 2018 conference.

Tell us more about Omron

Omron Industrial Automation is a leading manufacturer of  advanced automation products and worldwide supplier of application expertise. It is part of the global Omron Corporation, which has been anticipating and fulfilling social and industrial needs since 1933. Omron's portfolio of automation products, which includes control, motion, robotics, visualistion, software, sensing, safety, machine vision & panel components provides a complete solution for manufacturers. Utilising common communication architectures between all devices, Omron provides seamless connectivity and simplified solutions for migrating information from the automation to IT environment, enabling us to realise the evolution to the smart, "connected factory".

What are you looking forward to most at Digitalising Manufacturing 2018?

The Digitalising conference will provide a unique platform to engage with a diverse range of stakeholders from manufacturers, academia, suppliers and system integrators, all offering complimentary perspectives on the solutions and opportunities with regard to digitalisation. It will be a great opportunity to both share information on our own digitalisation solutions, but also to listen and learn from other contributing parties and delegates.

How will digitalisation affect UK manufacturing?

UK manufacturers are under increasing pressure to remain competitive in the global market,  digitalisation presents many opportunities to drive improvements in efficiency, increase flexibility, develop more agile manufacturing processes and improve total quality. It is a cold hard fact that manufacturing in a "low labour cost" economy has a distinct competitive advantage over the UK, embracing digitalisation techniques provides UK manufacturers the opportunity to level the playing field and remain competitive in the global market.

What advice would you give to a company looking to digitalise their business?

Firstly, digitalisation is not an "on" or "off" button, it is not a fixed state of being digitalised or not being digitalised, nor is it an all encompassing solution to every manufacturing issue. Prominently, nobody understands your business, processes and issues better than you, which is often a great place to start on any digitalisation journey. Understanding and isolating the key issues that directly effect your business, is probably the most crucial first step and from this, the process of deriving a solution is greatly simplified.
Identify the "quick wins", most barriers faced in adopting a digitalisation strategy are not related to the available solutions, but often arise from the lack of belief or backing from internal stakeholders to support investing time and capital in digitalisation. Small changes and investments in identified problem areas, can often lead to quick success and easier justification for additional investment.
Always think "connected", whatever changes or investments you make, one fundamental principal of digitalisation is the connected model and it is imperative to choose capital equipment or devices that "connect" on a widely adopted,  open vendor principal. This will protect and future proof any investment you make, as your business ramps up it's digitalisation strategy.

How has Industry 4.0 affected Omron?

Industry 4.0 and the attention surrounding it and similar topics, is a welcome phenomenon for our business, as it is strongly aligned with our core development strategy of the "connected" automation architecture. The topic has also driven our business with regard to product development, accelerating and influencing emerging technologies like edge AI and collaborative mobile robotics, which are technologies that Omron are pioneering in the automation market.

Driving UK competitiveness by digitalising manufacturing

Expanded over two days, this year’s Digitalising Manufacturing Conference offered a truly international perspective on the opportunities and threats facing UK value chains.

You could not have asked for – nor planned – a more auspicious start to Digitalising Manufacturing 2017, hosted by the MTC and held at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre in Coventry.

Just hours before the chairman’s opening remarks on October 30, the country’s independent review of industrial digitalisation was published with claims that over 10 years, digital technologies could boost UK manufacturing by some £455bn.

If that number alone didn’t represent a salivating prospect, industrial digitalisation could also increase sector growth by upwards of 3% a year and create a net gain of 175,000 jobs, all while reducing CO2 emissions by 4.5%, according to the report.

To achieve such significant improvements, the Made Smarter Review lays out several key recommendations, all geared around addressing the three main challenges businesses face: Leadership, Adoption and Innovation.

The Made Smarter Review was led by Professor Juergen Maier, the same person who chaired day one of Digitalising Manufacturing 2017. As such, there was a palpable buzz as delegates took their seats ready to discuss how best to meet the challenges head on.

To read the full article from The Manufacturer, please click here

European Innovation Council pilot Jury unveiled – 87 investment and innovation experts selected

Lina Huertas, Head of Technology Strategy for Digital Manufacturing at Manufacturing Technology Centre is named in the European Innovation Council pilot Jury.

With the creation of the European Innovation Council (EIC) pilot, the SME instrument evaluations will undergo a radical change. Starting from the first cut-off on 10 January 2018, companies that pass the initial selection stage for Phase 2 awards, will have to pitch their innovation projects in front of a panel of jury experts, consisting of private investors, business angels and other players in the innovation ecosystem. This complements the existing paper based assessment in order to take full account of the personal qualities and motivations of the applicant innovators. 

To read the full article and to see the full list, click here.

Growing the Artificial Intelligence Industry in the UK

An excerpt from the review:

'Increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can bring major social and economic benefits to the UK. With AI, computers can analyse and learn from information at higher accuracy and speed than humans can. AI offers massive gains in efficiency and performance to most or all industry sectors, from drug discovery to logistics. AI is software that can be integrated into existing processes, improving them, scaling them, and reducing their costs, by making or suggesting more accurate decisions through better use of information. It has been estimated that AI could add an additional USD $814 billion (£630bn) to the UK economy by 2035, increasing the annual growth rate of GVA from 2.5 to 3.9%'

'Our vision is for the UK to become the best place in the world for businesses developing and deploying AI to start, grow and thrive, and to realise all the benefits the technology offers.'

You can read the full review here.

How are manufacturers filling their digital skills gaps?

Almost every business, regardless of size, sector or geography, is being urged to create internal digital capabilities. But how is this need being manifested, and what role will ‘operational technologists’ play?

Historically, a manufacturer’s information technology department and its team of automation production engineers have typically operated in isolation.

Their functions didn’t necessarily overlap and the two were often overseen by separate management teams.

However, the rise of smart manufacturing – driven by the power and connectivity of the industrial internet, has seen production plants evolve and traditional siloes being broken down.

To read the full article from the Manufacturer, please click here.

How are UK manufacturers embracing digital technology?

Considering the huge leaps forward technology has taken in recent years, how have UK manufacturers embraced digital transformation, and what might the future hold?

To say that manufacturers have ‘started’ to adopt technology or ‘began’ to leverage data is a misnomer. Industry has been utilising digital technology for more than three decades thanks to the introduction and continual evolution of CAD, CAM, CNC, ERP, SCADA, PLCs and more.

To remain relevant and competitive, however, every business needs to embrace change and take advantage of advances in technology.

Though many manufacturers have successfully integrated some form of digital technology into their operations, there’s a lot that could still be done in terms of a complete transformation – irrespective of whether a company is an early-adopter or a novice.

To read the full article from The Manufacturer, please click here.

HVMC CTO, Sam Turner, makes the case for 4.0 investment

Professor Sam Turner, CTO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult believes we must start making a stronger and better case for adoption now, because without the competitive advantage Industry 4.0 technologies deliver, manufacturers might well struggle in the uncertain times that lie ahead.

Businesses in the UK have a track record of conservative uptake of new technologies. We almost missed the Third Industrial Revolution – robotics – which is what gave extra urgency to the Made Smarter Review presented to government last year.

The Made Smarter team, led by Juergen Maier of Siemens, is seeking substantial investment from government in programmes that accelerate the adoption of digital technologies among manufacturers.

There are encouraging signs of government’s readiness to include that in its industrial strategy, although a wider picture will not be revealed until the autumn. Yet the urgency remains.

In this interview with The Manufacturer’s editorial director Nick Peters, Professor Sam Turner, CTO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC), suggests that the way forward is to change the messaging around 4.0 from evangelising about the virtues of the technology to presenting much more focused, real-life examples of how it is already helping companies develop competitive advantage.

To read the rest of the original article from the Manufacturer, please click here

Industrial Strategy White Paper 2017

The Industrial Strategy has been created to showcase the government’s plan to build an economy which boosts productivity and earning power throughout the UK.

The strategy is available to view here.

Made Smarter Review

Chaired by Siemens UK CEO Professor Juergen Maier, the Made Smarter Review outlines proposals to boost the economy using advanced digital technologies including robotics, 3D printing, augmented and virtual reality as well as artificial intelligence.

You can read the full version here.

New research finds 3 out of 4 firms failing at digitalisation

More than 80% of companies globally have made investments in "digitalisation" - investing in digital technologies to change business models and drive revenue - in the past three years, yet less than 25% have achieved topline growth as a result.

To read the full article from the manufacturer, please click here.

Three 2018 Game-Changers for Manufacturing

Excerpt taken from GlobalTrade magazine:

'IoT being built into the product design, manufacturers adopting a more service-centric business model, and 3D printing reaching the tipping point of realizing business benefits on a large scale. These are the three game-changing predictions that Antony Bourne, Global Industry Director of Industrial and High-tech Manufacturing at IFS, outlines for 2018.'

To read the full article, please click here.

Three steps to drive digital innovation

Innovation is key in navigating businesses through digital transformation.
Lina Huertas, Head of Technology Strategy for Digital Manufacturing at Manufacturing Technology Centre, talks about the pinch points where companies in traditional industries require support in their digitalization journey.

What are the steps that traditional manufacturing industries should take to foster a culture of innovation and to avoid extinction? In Huertas’ opinion, the steps are the same for any industry. “The first thing is always to be aware and to raise awareness, for example, by visiting events or conferences or by speaking to organizations that can provide more information. If you are not aware of what’s possible, it’s very difficult to get ideas going,” she says.

“Moreover, someone should always be responsible for achieving digitalization. Businesses always have other pressures to deal with, so it’s very important to have someone in charge of the objective,” Huertas continues. “Once you have a view of the landscape and someone has been tasked with the objective, then you need to identify the opportunity, understanding your whole organization. You should recognize your organization’s opportunities for quick wins and for creating the most value,” she explains. “Quick wins create momentum, so you need to understand that the best place to start is where you have the most issues or concerns.”

To read the full article from Industrial Internet Now, click here.