INDUSTRY NEWS
Going digital on a budget
‘ Digital Manufacturing on a Shoestring ’, writes Elizabeth Tofaris , is an approach developed by Cambridge ’ s Institute for Manufacturing , in the UK , to help smaller manufacturers adopt digital technologies using off-the-shelf , low-cost and openly available tools .
Industry partners taking part in the programme have reportedly doubled in the past year to 56 , and 14 have successfully started or deployed a ‘ Shoestring ’ solution to increase their manufacturing efficiency . By offering a hands-on approach , the programme aims to help company staff to become more confident with digital decisionmaking and investment .
“ I believe that the Shoestring approach is a breath of fresh air . It offers straightforward , relatable solutions for small- and mediumsized companies , improves skills within the workforce and inspires investigation into further opportunities for implementing valueadding technologies ,” said Alex Campbell of the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service .
Simple and cost-effective aims
Four years ago , Professor Duncan McFarlane realised that small manufacturing companies were bewildered by the potential for digitalisation within their organisations and didn ’ t know where to start . He founded the ‘ Digital Manufacturing on a Shoestring ’ programme at Cambridge ’ s Institute for Manufacturing ( IfM ). Digital technologies , he outlined , are “ far simpler than they look .”
“ On a visit to Australia in 2016 , I went to a series of Industry 4.0 workshops exploring digital solutions for manufacturing . I spoke with several small companies who told me that the ideas being proposed were all very well , but that they didn ’ t address any of their needs : ‘ It ’ s too big , it ’ s too expensive and it ’ s all about new tech . Our needs are much simpler ,’ they told me . They had a point : why were all the solutions available to industry – automation , digital tracking and monitoring , Internet of Things – so expensive and so complicated ?” he explained .
“ Consumer technologies such as phones and cameras and other smart devices were becoming cheaper and more readily available . Why couldn ’ t industry use them ? Why couldn ’ t you build something with a GoPro camera and a low-cost computer like a Raspberry Pi , for example ? Back in Cambridge , I scratched my head and started talking to companies about their needs . It seemed like there was some mileage in looking into the notion of doing things cheaply and simply for small manufacturers ,” he added .
Huge potential
The Made Smarter Review , an independent analysis of industrial digitalisation commissioned by the UK government in 2017 , stated that greater digitalisation of industry could add £ 455 billion to the UK economy , improve productivity by 25 % and increase manufacturing sector growth by between 1.5 – 3.0 % per annum . The potential was clearly huge but cost , risk , complexity and a potential lack of relevant digital skills were all hampering these efforts .
“ In 2018 , we established Digital Manufacturing on a Shoestring in partnership with Svetan Ratchev from the University of Nottingham , several industrial supporters and funding from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council . We set about trying to help companies who were really struggling to understand the whole notion of digitalisation , how it applied to them and where they could best benefit . Simultaneously , we set out to survey and classify all the very low-cost technologies and organise them into a set of solutions to meet the digital solution needs of small manufacturers . Our idea was to assemble solutions from ‘ building blocks ’ that could be reused , adapted and combined repeatedly ,” continued Professor Duncan McFarlane . Supported by the IfM ’ s lab facilities , the programme began building prototype solutions that used affordable components . It ran workshops with over 300 companies and talked to them about their business priorities and barriers to growth , and the way in which different digital solutions could help to address them . From this , it extracted a list of 59 digital solution areas that addressed the needs of small businesses .
“ We call this the Shoestring solution catalogue and believe it ’ s the first of its kind . By addressing some of the common operational challenges companies face , the catalogue reduces the need for deep technical understanding and provides a simple , viable route towards digitalisation . And it helps to overcome that understandable initial scepticism ,” explained Professor McFarlane .
Looking to the future
“ The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive . We ’ ve found that once one solution has been successfully applied , industry partners are keen to try the next one . In the next three years , we want to support self-sustaining rollouts across the UK so that regions can develop their own local Shoestring programme . We want to develop an online portal giving users and developers access to the Shoestring solution configuration platform , pre-configured solutions , training and how-to guides ; a community platform and installer directory ; and Shoestring training and education programmes for small and mediumsized manufacturers , service providers , apprentices , trainees and students ,” said the Professor .
“ In the longer term ,” he added “ there is an opportunity for Shoestring to have a significant influence on the industrial digital ecosystem in the UK and elsewhere . The structure we ’ re building will support real , meaningful engagement with stakeholders — not just industry but national and regional associations , education providers and solution providers . This is to ensure that Shoestring not only has an impact within companies but also across the wider manufacturing sector . This encompasses the current and future workforce — we ’ re adapting Shoestring ’ s tools to support Further Education Colleges with their education programme and industry engagement , helping to prepare students and apprentices for the world of work ,” he explained .
A key lesson , he says , is that it ’ s about organising and involving a small business in the digitalisation process , rather than just providing them with solutions and hoping those solutions meet their needs . n
ISMR May 2022 | sheetmetalplus . com | 15