INDUSTRY NEWS
Digital supply-chain hub
Digital Catapult , the UK authority on advanced digital technology , has partnered with five leading technology companies and six pioneering SMEs to solve critical supplychain challenges facing small-to-medium sized manufacturers across the country . As part of the Made Smarter Innovation / Digital Supply- Chain Hub , the initiative will fund and facilitate the development of pioneering solutions to remedy significant industrial challenges , with a view to driving economic growth and advancing the UK ’ s manufacturing sector .
The competition will fund the development of advanced digital solutions with up to £ 100,000 for each tech company to deploy their solutions into the supporting manufacturer ’ s businesses , who will receive £ 25,000 to bolster this activity .
“ To maintain the UK ’ s position as number nine in the world in terms of manufacturing output , the challenges identified in this programme will be key to ensuring that manufacturers can look to innovation as a means of improving efficiency and achieving sustainable growth ,” commented Digital Catapult . These challenges include :
■ Improving compliance and reducing the administrative burden on SMEs in the FMCG ( fast moving consumer goods ) industry through digital and paperless systems , supporting export growth through improved compliance to export regulations .
■ Reducing waste through digital infrastructure to explore the diversion of waste to secondary markets .
■ Providing visibility of inventory levels and / or delays in supply to enable better planning and prioritising by the SME manufacturer in the automotive industry .
■ Understanding the true costs of purchasing materials so that SME manufacturers can make better decisions around sourcing and reduce their overall input costs .
“ The project comes as a recent survey from Make UK and BDO highlighted the challenges currently facing UK manufacturers , with output growth for 2023 expected to be at -0.3 %. Supply-chain pressures were outlined as a key challenge for medium-sized firms , with continued disruption and increased costs in the UK and overseas stalling business growth ,” said Digital Catapult .
The programme will help to address these challenges by developing solutions to real-world industrial challenges in the manufacturing space , and will look to leverage emerging technologies that can be deployed at scale to sharpen the UK ’ s manufacturing edge . This includes solving industrial challenges by utilising artificial intelligence ( AI ); machine learning ; Internet of Things ( IoT ) technologies and blockchain .
Tim Lawrence , Director , Digital Supply Chain Hub , said : “ With around 250,000 SME manufacturers in the UK , it ’ s important that the work that we do as part of the Digital Supply Chain Hub backs these organisations as we introduce advanced digital tools to the supply chain . We ’ re excited to work on this initial rollout and look forward to introducing the solutions developed to the wider SME community in the coming months .”
Made Smarter Innovation / Digital Supply Chain Hub is delivered by Digital Catapult , funded by the Made Smarter Innovation challenge at UK Research and Innovation . The Hub aims to transform UK manufacturing by accelerating digital innovation and making supply chains more efficient , resilient and sustainable .
Digital Catapult is part of the Catapult Network that supports businesses in transforming ideas into valuable products and services . It is a network of technology and innovation centres established by Innovate UK . n
www . digitalsupplychainhub . uk
EMO Hannover in focus
After four years , EMO Hannover will open its doors again from 18-23 September 2023 . As a leading trade fair for production technology , it is a platform for companies , research institutions and trade visitors from all over the world . Under the slogan ‘ Innovate Manufacturing ’, visitors can discover the latest trends , products and solutions in production technology and exchange ideas with international experts .
Over 1,700 exhibitors from 42 countries will be at the show . In 2019 , the event attracted almost 120,000 trade visitors from around 150 countries . EMO is a registered trademark of the European machine-tool association , CECIMO . The trade fair is organised by the VDW ( German Machine Tool Builders ’ Association ).
The main focus of EMO Hannover is on cutting and forming machine tools ; manufacturing systems ; precision tools ; automated material handling ; computer technology ; industrial electronics and accessories . EMO visitors come from all major industrial sectors including machine and plant construction ; the automotive industry and parts suppliers ; aerospace technologies ; precision engineering and optics ; shipbuilding ; medical engineering ; tool and mouldmaking ; steel and lightweight construction .
EMO Hannover hosts a supporting programme every year consisting of conferences and special shows . This year ’ s programme includes 5G in production ; additive manufacturing ; data security ; Industry 4.0 ; IIoT ; machine learning and artificial intelligence ; as well as next-generation and industry trends . There will also be various networking and matchmaking events as well as theme booths run jointly by different exhibitors .
EMO ’ s ‘ Future Insights ’ aim to provide visitors with a continuous stream of topical reports from experts in the manufacturing industries and related fields before , during and after the trade fair . They will highlight megatrends affecting the sector with themes such as “ The future of business ”, “ The future of connectivity ” and “ The future of sustainability in production .” n
https
:// emo-hannover . de / en
18 | ismr . net | ISMR September 2023