This session featured Professor Colin Lindsay from InterAct’s ‘Future of Work’ team and Dr Marisa Smith of the ‘Disability Inclusion in Manufacturing’ project, alongside LightGuide’s Managing Director – EMEA, Marc Baines.
The aim of the webinar was to examine the growth of digital solutions in manufacturing and what opportunities they offer organisations willing to embrace change. Colin, Marc and Marisa discussed how new technology have the capacity to empower employees, drive productivity and innovation, and diversify the talent pool to expand workforce inclusivity.
Digital transformation has unrivalled potential to improve the lives of citizens throughout the UK and renew the way that the private, public and third sectors can work together.
For UK manufacturing, digital transformation will require future workplaces that can attract and retain young talent from diverse backgrounds and mindsets. However, research by MAKE UK reported that in 2021 only 2% of the average UK manufacturing workforce is currently below 30 years old.
Outdated perceptions overshadow the exciting, tech-driven careers modern manufacturing offers. Attracting the best young talent starts with changing those views.
InterAct’s future-focused research provides free, human-centric insights to help you understand and attract tomorrow’s workforce.
Get started today with our workforce scenarios guide– designed to help you shape the future of talent.
This research was conducted by Dr Karl Warner (University of Glasgow), Dr Nicola Bailey (Kings College London), Dr Anna Chatzimichali (University of Bath), Mr Malek El-Qallali, (University of Bath), Dr Imtiaz Khan (Cardiff Metropolitan University), Dr Anastasia Kulichyova, (Queens University Belfast). This work was supported by the UKRI Made Smarter Innovation Challenge and the Economic and Social Research Council via InterAct [Grant Reference ES/W007231/1].
For further discussions or to propose potential applications/collaborations, please contact Karl Warner.
Professor Janet Godsell (Dean of Loughborough Business School and InterAct Co-director) features in the Journal of Operations Management’s podcast on ‘Advancing Engaged Practice-Orientated Research’.
In the episode, Jan discusses advancing engaged practice-orientated research with the panel and the importance of this engagement between academia and industry.
Jan highlights institutional mechanisms to facilitate this engagement, such as industrial collaborator forums and masters/MBA student projects to encourage low risk collaboration between businesses and academics.
Professor Colin Lindsay (University of Strathclyde and InterAct)
The InterAct Future of Work Team visited Australia for an international evidence-gathering mission, seeking to share findings from our research with manufacturing stakeholders and learn from good practice in fostering collaboration and innovation in the sector. As reported in our first blog from Professor Jill MacBryde, our first engagements in Brisbane were really inspiring, as we learned about how colleagues at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have partnered with Australian manufacturers, and we visited the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Hub, to see first-hand how this collaborative factory space brings together researchers, tech experts and growing manufacturing SMEs to ensure that manufacturers have the support they need to scale and innovate.
Our next stop was Melbourne, where the team hugely enjoyed hearing from Professor Laura Anne Bull (Deputy Vice Chancellor, Education, Experience & Employability at Swinburne University of Technology) and her team about Swinburne’s exciting work around business engagement and innovation, which is realised through impactful collaborations with manufacturers and others, but also integrated in the employability-related provision delivered to students. The jewels in the crown of Swinburne’s engagement with manufacturing stakeholders are their Factory of the Future, Smart Structures Lab and SEAM (Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials) Lab, where we were pleased to spend the morning for a research visit.
Experts in each laboratory walked us through some of the cutting-edge technologies they deploy to support the manufacturing industry in their innovation journeys. Professor Anita Kocsis (Director of Design Factory Melbourne at Swinburne) also helped us understand how the Factory of the Future and other manufacturing-facing initiatives connect with a broader suite of collaborations that place Swinburne and partners at the centre of a burgeoning design innovation ecosystem across Victoria.
We were fortunate to have Dr Avril Thomson (Head of Skills Programmes at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland) as a key member of our Mission team, so that Avril could share insights from the NMIS team’s wide range of impactful learning and technology transfer solutions in Scotland, and compare notes with various factories of the future experts in Australia. There were interesting parallels between the work carried out by NMIS, Catapult network stakeholders and other partners in the UK, and the essential and practically useful support provided by Swinburne’s Factory of the Future, for example through its innovative Industrial Digital Transformation Hub.
The final Australian city stop for the team was Adelaide in South Australia, where we were able to spend time at a second Factory of the Future. Flinders University leads this fast-developing project, and we were able to tour some exciting innovation projects being developed by manufacturers in collaboration with the Factory of the Future. Inspirational Principal Manager Philipp Dautel shared Factory of the Future’s vision for a world-class, advanced manufacturing innovation and training facility that will engage up to 250 companies, a vision that is already beginning to be realised through a range of exciting ongoing projects and a major build underway. Factory of the Future is embedded within the stunning Tonsley Innovation District – a formerly disused automotive manufacturing site that has now regenerated into an innovation and inclusive hub hosting partners ranging from mega-MNEs like BAE Systems to local SMEs.
While visiting Adelaide, the team also enjoyed two excellent research dissemination events kindly hosted by Professor Michael Gilding (Vice President and Executive Dean, College of Business, Government and Law at Flinders University). First, we enjoyed a lively roundtable discussion with senior policy and business stakeholders, with Professor Jill MacBryde presenting InterAct research on attracting the next generation of talent to manufacturing work, while we also shared insights on digital ‘dynamic capabilities’ from our research with industry leaders in the UK, and Dr Avril Thomson spoke about NMIS’s impact in collaborating with Scottish manufacturers on emerging skill needs.
Then, we followed a first successful event with a half-day workshop targeting manufacturing managers and stakeholders. This time, I got the opportunity to share research on the importance of effective people management and fair work for the manufacturing sector (drawing on the work of both InterAct and the ESRC PrOPEL Hub). My colleagues Professor Jill MacBryde and Dr Avril Thomson both led interactive workshops on the future of work and skills in manufacturing.
It was great to engage directly with South Australia’s manufacturing stakeholder community, and we’re hugely grateful to Philipp, Michael and their teams at Factory of the Future and Flinders for making it happen. It was also interesting to hear much positivity about the future of manufacturing work from policy, business and manufacturing leaders, but also familiar concerns raised about skill shortages and the challenge of attracting (especially young) people to the sector.
Our take-aways?
Often following the UK (and indeed Scotland’s) example, national and regional policy stakeholders in Australia have invested in collaborative spaces and projects that have the potential to impact significantly on innovation and digital transformation in manufacturing. Just as in the UK, there are really exciting partnerships between higher education, research and manufacturing – something that obviously chimes with the core values of InterAct, and its partners. Finally, there was a willingness to engage with the idea that people – and therefore people’s jobs and experiences in the workplace – are crucial to understanding and fostering the high value, innovative future that we want in manufacturing. Sharing robust research and best practice on ‘what works’ in practices that support an innovative, inclusive and productive future of manufacturing work will remain a key mission of the InterAct team.
On Wednesday 4th December, InterAct joined forces with LightGuide, Inc. to host a webinar focused on digital transformation, inclusion and innovation in manufacturing.
This session featured Professor Colin Lindsay from InterAct’s ‘Future of Work’ team and Dr Marisa Smith of the ‘Disability Inclusion in Manufacturing’ project, alongside LightGuide’s Managing Director – EMEA, Marc Baines.
The aim of the webinar was to examine the growth of digital solutions in manufacturing and what opportunities they offer organisations willing to embrace change. Colin, Marc and Marisa discussed how new technology have the capacity to empower employees, drive productivity and innovation, and diversify the talent pool to expand workforce inclusivity.
Discussing the event, Professor Lindsay said: “It’s always fantastic to have the opportunity to take part in these kind of sessions in partnership with industrial digital technology providers. InterAct’s mission has always been to bridge the gap between academia, manufacturing, and digital technology providers, building a network and breaking down barriers to get everyone speaking the same language. Webinars like this give us exactly the right platform to build those collaborative relationships and share insights from a variety of unique perspectives.”
The webinar also explored examples of innovative practice shared by LightGuide, a leading projected AR work instruction software provider offering inclusive workplace solutions. These solutions transform manual processes by projecting digital step-by-step AR work instructions onto an employee’s work surface, standardizing and error proofing the work. Coupled with 3D sensors and vision cameras, the system prevents and detects errors in real-time while capturing data and insights on your operator’s performance and quality.
Professor Colin Lindsay(University of Strathclyde and InterAct)
In November 2024, the InterAct Future of Work Team visited Australia for an international evidence-gathering mission to complement research on how we can ensure that digital transformation in manufacturing is aligned with strategies for workplace innovation and employee empowerment, to benefit businesses, people and build the positive future for manufacturing work that we all want.
The InterAct team – including Professor Colin Lindsay (Strathclyde Business School) and Dr Avril Thomson (National Manufacturing Institute Scotland) – engaged with businesses, innovation hubs and research experts, on a mission to mine the best evidence on ‘what might work’ in supporting an innovative and inclusive future for manufacturing. We learnt a lot by engaging with Australian stakeholders, hearing about how the university sector and manufacturing businesses have collaborated effectively, the challenges faced by manufacturing employers (some of which will be familiar to UK manufacturers) and exciting initiatives to drive innovation and productivity.
First stop on our mission was Queensland University of Technology (QUT), a leading technological university. It was good to meet with Professor Rowena Barrett (Pro Vice-Chancellor for Entrepreneurship and Regional Innovation), Professor Glen Murphy, and members of the QUT team, to hear about the important industry engagement work being taken forward by QUT, with collaboration with the local and national manufacturing ecosystem being a key priority. ‘QUT Entrepreneurship’ seeks to inspire and amplify entrepreneurship and business engagement opportunities for students, staff and alumni. We were impressed with QUT’s commitment to supporting business model development, and innovative programmes such as ‘Growth Lab’, which seek to help scaling businesses (including manufacturing SMEs). We met with QUT team members at their ‘Foundry’, a collaborative space where partnering businesses can access learning resources and coaching and (just as importantly) network and share ideas.
The InterAct team were also particularly excited to visit the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Hub – a fantastic opportunity to learn about the progress made by this exciting manufacturing research and innovation hub. Initially growing from funding from the Queensland state government, ARM has since gone on to establish a national reach, partnering with all universities in Queensland and many institutions across wider Australia.
Professor Cori Stewart (Director of ARM) and Dr Troy Cordie (Mechtronics Lead) explained that in the past five years, ARM has provided the practical space for manufacturing start-ups and scale-ups to innovate, test, and develop ideas in a real factory setting. Clearly, this meets an important need for scaling manufacturers – there’s a big difference between testing a prototype and producing at scale for market, and ARM helps ‘young’ manufacturing companies to navigate this challenge and de-risk the step up to large scale manufacturing. Success means ‘tenants’ outgrowing the ARM facility and securing the resources to establish their own production spaces – tenants generally turnover after 12-18 months.
As well as the practical support, materials, equipment and room provided by ARM, we were struck by the open, collaborative space and culture established at the facility, which has clearly helped different companies to learn together and from each other. ARM and QUT colleagues emphasised a shared commitment to contributing to a collaborative and innovative manufacturing ecosystem, and the University’s undergraduate and postgraduate students benefit from placements with both ARM and tenant businesses. Secondments and collaborative working arrangements between ARM and state universities means that Higher Education staff can share their expertise and learn from working in the ARM environment.
It was good to hear that ARM is actively planning to expand its physical footprint and capacity to support more growing manufacturing businesses. It was also great to learn about the wide range of manufacturing innovators who continue to partner with ARM, from founding partner organisation Urban Arts Project, whose large-scale art projects neatly illustrate the potential for advanced manufacturing to contribute to creative industries and architectural design solutions, to Verton, a current ARM partner whose innovative design and manufacture work is making a key contribution to the renewables sector internationally, including in Scotland.
Our take-aways?
Phase 1 of our Australia mission reminded us of the value of close, constructive and pragmatic collaboration between the university sector and manufacturing. We also reflected on the importance of places and spaces for collaboration and innovation: from ‘foundries’ embedded in universities where researchers and business leaders can share ideas and identify solutions, to fantastically innovative hubs like ARM, providing the space and support for burgeoning success stories to grow.
At the end of November 2024, the InterAct team continued their series of InterAct Global research missions with a visit to Kuala Lumpa, Malaysia. InterAct Global is an expansion of the project, designed to bring insights from international manufacturing and technological innovation in the UK sector. The visit enabled the team to engage with those in the defence aerospace sector that are working towards an increasingly digitalised defence aerospace industry in Malaysia.
InterAct is hoping to create both local and global impact by exchanging knowledge with international players in the worldwide manufacturing ecosystem. These missions will help to better understand the competitive advantages of other countries, learn from them, and exchange best practices and processes. Providing these insights to UK businesses and policymakers, the project aims to tackle the future challenges of digital transformation across three key areas: ecosystems, economies, and workplaces.
Malaysia represents an interesting case study for innovation, with clearly defined priorities in the shift from Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) to aerospace manufacturing, as well as upskilling the future workforce and making the sector attractive to Gen Z. The team had the chance to explore this in more depth through various to companies including:
AIROD
Galaxy Aerospace
InterAct had the chance to expand upon these visits and discussions with two workshops, hosted in collaboration with National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM) and Ministry of Defence Malaysia (MINDEF). These events brought together a range of high calibre attendees, including those from defence aerospace and civil aerospace sectors, as well as those from academia, to collaborate and strategise for their shared vision of a digital future.
These engaging sessions offered participants a chance to hear from the InterAct team, MINDEF and industry stakeholders as they discussed:
The role of Malaysia in the 2040 defence aerospace Global Value Chain (GVC)
The importance of academia in the future progression of the defence sector
The future of work in the Malaysia defence aerospace industry
Bridging skills gaps and Gen Z in the labour market
We want to thank all of our generous hosts and partners for the success of this mission and look forward to bringing more insights from our further global engagement activities.
Transform your supply chain: Join the Digital Supply Chain Hub
Building on the success of the Made Smarter Innovation programme, the new Digital Supply Chain Hub platform aims to advance strategic collaboration between manufacturers and digital solution providers. The platform will meet industry demand to accelerate the digitalisation of supply chain operations, driving resilience and sustainability through the application of deep tech solutions.
The platform is designed to increase the adoption of digital solutions by UK manufacturers through facilitating connections and knowledge sharing with digital solution providers and academia. The hub offers tailored matching capabilities to connect businesses with the right partners to help address specific supply chain challenges. Members can:
Connect with businesses and supply chain professionals
Assess their organisation’s readiness to adopt digital technologies and supply chain’s resilience
Upskill with bespoke courses tailored to digital supply chain challenges.
Identify and connect with the right partners through the UK supply chain directory
Explore case studies of real-world deep tech adoption
Members will also be able to engage in dynamic discussions with industry professionals through “Circles,” the interactive forums focused on critical supply chain topics like resilience, sustainability, and digital adoption.
The hub is open to businesses of all sizes and can help tackle problems often encountered during the search for a suitable supply chain partner.
About the Made Smarter Innovation | Digital Supply Chain Hub
The Made Smarter Innovation | Digital Supply Chain Hub is a digital innovation programme that empowers individuals and organisations to work together to make supply chains smarter. Developed by Digital Catapult and funded by the Made Smarter Innovation challenge, the programme is designed to transform UK manufacturing through digitally empowered supply chains that are more efficient, resilient and sustainable.
The Digital Supply Chain Hub is helping businesses realise the relevance and critical value of digital supply chain technology by improving the flow of data through supply chains and the surrounding ecosystems. The application of digital tools and deep tech solutions creates opportunities to connect systems and value chains, creating a robust data system which can be leveraged to meet the supply chain challenges of today and tomorrow.
Watch a short video explaining the potential of shared ownership business models in the manufacturing sector.
Research overview
What factors the drive consumer adoption of digitally enabled products?
This project, from InterAct funded researchers, has investigated the assumption that a lack of consumer demand lies behind manufacturers’ underinvestment in Industrial Digital Technology. It focused on domestic washing machines as a widespread product that could be ripe for innovation, and which is under pressure to improve its environmental performance.
The findings suggest that consumer resistance to digital features stems from a lack of clear perceived benefits. While manufacturers focus on promoting the technological features of their products as a competitive advantage, customers value outcomes and experience offered. Moreover, customers expressed a dislike for refurbished washing machines and scepticism about alternative revenue models as potentially exploitative. Demonstrating value for money and cultivating trust are major challenges.
For manufacturers, the key recommendation is to place the customer’s experience and expected outcomes (e.g. peace of mind and clean clothes on demand) at the heart of their innovation, rather than emphasise product features.
Technology should be harnessed to support delivery of such outcomes and may be enabled through business model innovation. For example, assured maintenance leading to peace of mind can be delivered through a combination of digital technology (condition monitoring, predictive analytics etc) and business model innovation (shared ownership, access-based service etc).
You can find out more about the project, it’s findings and the team’s recommendations in the full report below.
This research was conducted by Ahmad Beltagui (Aston Business School), Ana Isabel Canhoto, Daniela Castillo, Amireza Alizamani (University of Sussex – Business School), Ramin Behbehani (Brunel Business School) Niraj Kumar (Essex Business School), Maren Schnieder (Anglia Ruskin University). This work was supported by the UKRI Made Smarter Innovation Challenge and the Economic and Social Research Council via InterAct [Grant Reference ES/W007231/1].
For further discussions or to propose potential applications/collaborations, please contact Ana Canhoto or Ahmad Beltagui.
This webinar, led by InterAct researchers in partnership with The Productivity Institute’s ‘Midlands Productivity Forum’, offers an analysis of the comparative productivity of the manufacturing sector across different UK regions, specifically the East Midlands, West Midlands, and Yorkshire. Drawing on data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the manufacturing sector has been identified as the largest contributor to output growth per hour, with a rate of 0.7 compared to 0.1 for the total UK industries, underscoring its critical role in driving regional economic performance.
Expert researchers from InterAct’s ‘Future of the Economy’ team will examine findings of a recent report exploring key factors affecting regional productivity. You’ll hear more about the impact of collaborative R&D grants that foster technological advancements and innovation, as well as labour market dynamics that ensure the availability of skilled and adaptable workers. Our team will then highlight how the innovation ecosystems of these regions contribute to building resilience in the manufacturing sector.
The insights derived from this analysis are intended to support stakeholders—including regional policymakers and industry leaders—in making informed decisions to enhance regional economic growth. Join us on November 4th to find out more, as we work to promote a more productive, resilient, and sustainable manufacturing sector across the UK, ensuring long-term economic growth.
