RESEARCH NEWS
Accelerating digital transformation in U. K.
Manufacturing leaders across Southern England are being urged to sign up to‘ Made Smarter’, the UK Government programme helping SMEs to embrace digital technologies for growth. Registration is now open to access fully funded expert advice, leadership training, student interns and up to £ 20,000 technology grants to help them drive growth, productivity and sustainability.
“ From 1 April 2025, following the UK Government’ s £ 16-million investment into the expansion of the programme, manufacturers in the South East, South West, East of England and London will be able to thrive in the digital age,” said‘ Made Smarter’ representatives.
Brian Holliday, Co-Chair of the Made Smarter Commission / Managing Director, Siemens Digital Industries, commented:“ Made Smarter is a driving force for digital transformation in UK’ s SME manufacturing. In the last six years, the programme has empowered businesses to innovate, compete and scale. This expansion clearly signals the UK Government’ s commitment to the sector, driving competitiveness, sustainability and productivity improvements for a robust industrial future.”
The programme is open to manufacturing and engineering SMEs with 250 employees or fewer and an annual turnover of £ 50
Brian Holliday. Vanesa Perez Sanchez.
million or less, who are looking to overcome common challenges such as productivity, decarbonisation and competition through the adoption of digital technologies.
Made Smarter East of England will be delivered across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire in the UK. The programme is being delivered by the Norfolk County Council.
Advanced and automated technologies
‘ Made Smarter London’ will be delivered by London & Partners, on behalf of the Greater London Authority, across all 32 boroughs and the City of London.
Vanesa Perez Sanchez, Director Small Business Service, London & Partners, said:“ We’ re excited to help London’ s manufacturing
SMEs embrace digital transformation and drive long-term growth through the Made Smarter UK programme. By providing tailored support, businesses will gain valuable insights into strategy, leadership and upskilling, as well as access to cutting-edge technologies that will enable them to boost productivity, innovate and create high-value jobs, helping them to stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.”
Paul Jones, Managing Director of Hampshire-based Morgan Furniture and a member of the Made Smarter South East’ s Steering Group, said:“ With over 18,000 manufacturing businesses in the South East covered by Made Smarter, the opportunity to grow the regional economy is huge. The programme offers eligible SMEs access to advice from specialist technology experts so that they can boost productivity and increase competitiveness by switching to advanced and automated technologies.”
Made Smarter South West will be delivered by partners across Bristol, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. n
www
. madesmarter. uk
New training partnership for manufacturers
In a significant move to bolster Georgia’ s workforce in the USA, Georgia Tech has partnered with Georgia Quick Start to advance manufacturing training and skills development. This collaboration, formalised by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on 8 April 2025, aims to elevate the quality and efficiency of manufacturing workforce training across the state.
As manufacturing technologies and artificial intelligence continue to evolve, U. S. manufacturers increasingly require skilled workers experienced in advanced manufacturing. For decades, Georgia Quick Start, administered by the Technical College System of Georgia, has been addressing this need and has been recognized as one of the U. S.’ s top workforce training programmes for 15 years.
Now, researchers at Georgia Tech will collaborate with Georgia Quick Start to enhance these efforts by developing Extended Reality( XR) training programmes, providing a scalable and experiential solution to meet the growing demand for training.
XR technologies use a combination of virtual and augmented reality to create immersive, interactive experiences. By simulating real-world manufacturing environments and processes, XR has the potential to allow trainees to practice and refine their skills in a controlled, risk-free setting through standardised training experiences. This not only enhances the learning experience but also ensures consistency in training quality across a large workforce.
“ Virtual reality scales training by gamifying complex tasks and removing the need for costly or hazardous physical equipment. Augmented reality scales on-the-job training by providing adaptive, context-aware guidance exactly when and where it’ s needed, reducing the need for expert supervision,” said manufacturing XR researcher, Mohsen Moghaddam, Gary C. Butler Family associate professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering and the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.“ Together, they make training more consistent, up-to-date, accessible and safe, especially for workers who may hesitate to ask for assistance from peers or supervisors out of fear of judgment.”
The collaboration will leverage Moghaddam’ s research and the AR / VR training space within the expanded Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility, providing a modern environment for developing and deploying XR training technologies. Researchers from the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute( GTMI) and Georgia AIM( Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing) will also play pivotal roles in the development of these training programmes. n
www. gatech. edu
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