Tag: manufacturing

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InterAct Co-director named in The Manufacturer Top 100 Awards

InterAct Co-director, Professor Janet Godsell, has been named as a winner for the ‘Sector Activist’ category in 2024 edition of The Manufacturer Top 100.

Now in its 12th year, The Manufacturer Top 100 scours the length and breadth of the nation to find the 100 most dynamic leaders and innovators in manufacturing, nominated by The Manufacturer’s audience, the industrial community and judged by a panel of industry leaders, academics and manufacturing associations.

The Manufacturer Top 100 celebrates the heroes of UK manufacturing and recognises their contribution to Net Zero, Digital Transformation, Innovation and Leadership. 

With an extensive background in industry and academic roles across both manufacturing and supply chains, Professor Godsell has long championed the importance of manufacturing to the economy, society and people’s everyday lives. An outspoken advocate of the integral role of humans within our supply chains and manufacturing businesses, she established the InterAct Network as a co-director in 2021 to develop new research in this area.

Professor Godsell has been deeply involved in sustainability focused research through projects such as CircularMetal and CarbonVue, which aim to reduce the environmental impact of the sector. She has also played an important role in the development of the new UK SCALE Centre, a collaboration between Loughborough University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), focusing on the future of supply chain innovation.

Discussing the recognition of her work in the Top 100, Professor Godsell said: “I’ve wanted to work in manufacturing since I was 15, so being part of The Manufacturer Top 100 is amazing. It really shows that the work I’ve done has been recognised by the community.

“Whilst I’m now working in an academic capacity, I think people can see I’m making use of the skills and expertise I’ve gained over the years to make a difference for the manufacturing sector.”

Hear more about Jan’s career journey and her view on the biggest challenges facing the sector
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News

InterAct attend the Women in Manufacturing Conference 2024

InterAct representatives were pleased to support the Women In Manufacturing initiative’s ‘Changing Perceptions’ conference on 19th September 2024.

Hosted at the state-of-the-art Manufacturing Technology Centre facility in Coventry, the event brought together a range of people within the manufacturing ecosystem to discuss gender diversity and inclusion within the industry.

The event was one of a series organised by the Women in Manufacturing UK Initiative, a network of industrial and academic professionals with a shared interest in encouraging diversity and inclusion in the sector.

Although women represent almost half of the labour force in the United Kingdom, they account for only 26% of all workers in the manufacturing sector.

Gender norms, stereotypes, and even AI biased can divide men and women into different occupations, leadership positions and economic activities, resulting in a lack of diversity influencing decision-making at the sector’s summit.

The morning sessions aimed to tackle this, kicking off with Dr. Jennifer Castañeda Navarrete and Zoi Roupakia presenting findings of their report, co-authored with Dr. Viktória Döme and Guendalina Anzolin:  ‘The Women in UK Manufacturing 2024: Addressing Labour Shortages and Bridging the Gender Gap’.

This was followed by presentations including ‘Driving diversity and inclusion in manufacturing’, a panel discussion on ‘Inclusive innovation in manufacturing’ and ‘Industry best practice’.

Throughout the afternoon, a series of workshops delved into various aspects of women’s roles in manufacturing, covering topics such as career advancement, mentorship programs, and strategies to overcome gender bias.

Attendees had the opportunity to engage with seasoned professionals, share experiences, and gain insights into navigating the challenges unique to women in the manufacturing workforce.

Whilst the conference made it clear that the industry has a long way to go in terms of promoting diversity and inclusion, and solving these long-term issues, the enthusiasm and ideas generated by the Women in Manufacturing initiative was an inspirational takeaway for attendees.

If you want to learn more about how you can take practical steps to help address these challenges, you can read Dr Jennifer Castañeda Navarrete and Zoi Roupakia’s report, co-authored with Dr. Viktória Döme and Guendalina Anzolin’s.

Full report
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InterAct Blog

The Circular Electricals and Electronics Project 

Miha Creative / Adobe Stock
Dr Lucia Corsini (University of Oxford)

Enabling a low-carbon and Circular Economy for electrical and electronic equipment is a critical element of reducing carbon emissions from the extraction and processing of minerals.

Electrical and electronic equipment is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK and the world. Less than 35% of waste electrical and electronic equipment is recovered in the UK.  

Our ability to effectively reuse, repair, remanufacture and recycle electrical and electronic equipment is locked in by decisions made at the design and manufacturing stage.  

So, how do we design more circular products, services and systems to enable the effective maintenance, reuse, remanufacture and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment?  

How can we help industry to do the same, within the socio-economic, technical and regulatory constraints they face?  

The Circular Electrical and Electronics Project aims to tackle these challenges and has been carefully co-created with more than twenty-four partners from across the electrical and electronic equipment value chain.  

This project is supported by UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship funding of £1.56m awarded to Dr Lucia Corsini to explore “Tackling Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment”. The initiative develops systems and engineering design solutions to enable a Circular Economy for electrical and electronic equipment, in which product lifetimes are maximised and products are effectively reused, remanufactured, repaired and recycled. 

Forming part of a systems approach, this research project develops design and engineering solutions to:  

  • Model flows of waste electrical and electronic equipment and related carbon emissions  
  • Identify waste and carbon reduction scenarios and strategies  
  • Develop circular product design and business model solutions that leverage emerging technologies and behavioural insights  
  • Help industry to embed novel circular economy solutions 
  • Support entrepreneurship and incubation of circular economy solutions 
  • Raise awareness and improve consumer access to circular economy solutions 

Please contact Dr Lucia Corsini at lucia.corsini@eng.ox.ac.uk if you would like to: 

  • Participate in the Circular Electrical and Electronics Project to get early access to research findings and publications 
  • Attend the annual Circular Electricals and Electronics Project Knowledge Exchange event 
  • Co-create future pathways for a Circular Economy for electrical and electronic equipment by participating in policy and industry stakeholder workshops (January– April 2025) 
  • Invite the Circular Electricals and Electronics Project team to speak to your organisation or provide guidance on the Circular Economy, waste electrical and electronic equipment, or critical minerals 

Dr Lucia Corsini is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and is an incoming Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Circular Economy and Sustainability Lab at the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford. Previously she was a Reader in Product Design Engineering at Brunel University London. 

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Productivity Resilience Resources Sustainability

Transforming supply chains: UK Supply Chain Survey 2024

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UK supply chain survey reveals barriers and opportunities

A new survey of manufacturers and technology companies has revealed the key challenges facing companies when it comes to digitalisation of supply chains. The Digital Supply Chain Hub programme has conducted its own research uncovering organisations’ attitudes towards the digital transformation of supply chains. Interviews were held with supply chain professionals in large manufacturing businesses and SMEs, as well as technology and innovation professionals developing solutions for supply chains.

It has revealed that insufficient resources are one of the most common barriers to digital transformation when it comes to supply chains. There is a growing need to upskill workforces in using new digital technologies and deep tech such as the internet of things and artificial intelligence. Enhancing efficiency and automation, building resilience against disruptions, and developing a more sustainable supply chain are key priorities for large manufacturing businesses while SMEs surveyed are slightly less likely to be prioritising supply chain digital transformation, with 14% saying they don’t currently have any supply chain top priorities.

Overall, the research shows that there is considerable appetite for digital supply chain solutions and that large businesses in particular are prioritising this crucial development.

However, talent shortages, market competition, and access to funding are most likely to be preventing technology and innovation professionals from developing and providing innovative digital supply chain solutions to UK manufacturers, with a need for further investment and robust policies to drive transformation.

The data can be explored using the interactive graphs, examining differences in views from large manufacturers when compared to SMEs. Regional variations in supply chain challenges can also be examined.

explore the UK Supply Chain Survey 2024

Take the next step and connect to a community of supply chain experts, tools, and resources with the Digital Supply Chain Hub.

Building on the research and business engagement of the programme, the Digital Supply Chain Hub platform has been designed to facilitate 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 hub is accessible to businesses of all sizes and can help tackle problems often encountered during the search for a suitable supply chain partner. The platform provides matching capabilities to connect companies with the right partners for their specific needs. The hub also offers educational courses to address key skills gaps and provides tools for companies to assess their current supply chain resilience and data readiness.

join the Digital Supply Chain Hub
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News

Digital Supply Chain Hub publishes findings of UK Supply Chain Survey 2024

phaisarnwong2517 / Adobe Stock

A new survey of manufacturers and technology companies from the Digital Supply Chain Hub has revealed the key challenges facing companies when it comes to digitalisation of supply chains. The Digital Supply Chain Hub programme has conducted its own research uncovering organisations’ attitudes towards the digital transformation of supply chains. Interviews were held with supply chain professionals in large manufacturing businesses and SMEs, as well as technology and innovation professionals developing solutions for supply chains.

The report found that insufficient resources are one of the most common barriers to digital transformation when it comes to supply chains. There is a growing need to upskill workforces in using new digital technologies and deep tech such as the internet of things and artificial intelligence. Enhancing efficiency and automation, building resilience against disruptions, and developing a more sustainable supply chain are key priorities for large manufacturing businesses while SMEs surveyed are slightly less likely to be prioritising supply chain digital transformation, with 14% saying they don’t currently have any supply chain top priorities.

Overall, the research shows that there is considerable appetite for digital supply chain solutions and that large businesses in particular are prioritising this crucial development.

However, talent shortages, market competition, and access to funding are most likely to be preventing technology and innovation professionals from developing and providing innovative digital supply chain solutions to UK manufacturers, with a need for further investment and robust policies to drive transformation.

Find out more and access the full findings
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InterAct researchers present findings at Academy of Management 2024 conference

From 9 – 13 August researchers from InterAct joined academic colleagues from across business, management, and social science at the Academy of Management’s 2024 Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. At this conference, InterAct funded researchers had the opportunity to present the findings of several papers focused on the human challenges of digitalisation. These included:

Envisioning a Socially Sustainable Future in Digitally-Enabled Manufacturing

Presented by:

Janet Godsell (Loughborough Business School)

Co-authors:

Ahmet Onur Agca (Loughborough Business School)

Kamran Ali Chatha (Loughborough Business School)

How will digitalization impact the future of work in global manufacturing?

Presented by:

Carolina Marin-Cadavid (Strathclyde Business School)

Co-authors:

Colin Lindsay (Strathclyde Business School)

Jillian MacBryde (Strathclyde Business School)

Robert Stewart (Strathclyde Business School)

Envisioning digital change: A systematic review of the socio-technical tools literature

Presented by:

Hui Zhang (Sheffield University Management School)

Co-authors:

Carolyn Axtell (Sheffield University Management School)

Vladislav Grozev (Sheffield University Management School)

Karina Nielsen (Sheffield University Management School)

Is the emergence of coworking spaces indicative of a modern industrial organization leading to fostering skills development?

Presented by:

Philip R Tomlinson (University of Bath, School of Management)

Mariachiara Barzotto (University of Bath, School of Management)

Co-authors:

Felicia Fai (University of Bath, School of Management)

Sandrine Labory (University of Ferrara, Department of Economics)

Following these successful presentations, the InterAct Network was pleased to be able to welcome over 80 conference attendees as guests at a networking reception held at Giordano’s restaurant (Gold Coast/Magnificent Mile).

This event brought together a wide range of experts from the social sciences to engage with InterAct staff and learn more about the Network’s agenda of improving human-centric digitalisation in manufacturing.

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News

Made Smarter publishes ‘digital transformation roadmap’ for SME manufacturers

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The Made Smarter programme has recently published a new ‘digital transformation roadmap’ to support SME manufacturers with the complex challenges of adopting new technology within their businesses.

Made Smarter was created following an industry-led review of how UK manufacturing industries could be supported to prosper through digital tools and innovation. It is comprised of two key elements; Made Smarter Adoption, which offers practical support and funding to assist businesses with implementing new technology, and Made Smarter Innovation which aims to use research to tackle the current and future challenges to successful digitalisation in UK manufacturing.

In their latest whitepaper, the Made Smarter team have highlighted the process of how they support SME manufacturers with digital transformation through grant funding and skills and leadership training programmes. The report showcases some of the hundreds of businesses who have benefitted from their intervention across the country.

The paper also includes features on several partner organisations such as Make UK, the Centre for People-Led Digitalisation (PLD) and InterAct. Find out more about how we, and others, are working with Made Smarter towards a common goal and access links to the best resources available to start your digital transformation journey today.  

Access the made smarter whitepaper
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People Productivity Resilience Resources

Digital Transformation: A Made Smarter roadmap for SME manufacturers

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Are you running a UK manufacturing business and looking to embark on a digital transformation journey? If so, this free whitepaper is the perfect place to start.

Aimed at ambitious SMEs it acts as a guide, explaining the concepts of digitisation, digitalisation, digital transformation, and continuous improvement.

Made Smarter help manufacturers better understand and navigate current and future trends and make the case for how industrial digital technologies can solve problems and create growth opportunities.

This whitepaper explains the process of how we support SME manufacturers with digital transformation through grant funding and skills and leadership training programmes. It also showcases some of the hundreds of businesses who have benefitted from our intervention across the country.

Finally, hear from Made Smarter partner organisations such as Make UK, the Centre for People-Led Digitalisation (PLD) and InterAct on how they are working with Made Smarter towards a common goal and find links to the best resources available to get you started with digital transformation today.

access the made smarter whitepaper
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InterAct Blog

Global perspectives: Investing in a people as a competitive advantage

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Carolina Marin-Cadavid (University of Strathclyde)

In June 2024, InterAct researchers visited Singapore as the first of several ‘Global Insight Missions’ aimed at uncovering new perspectives and knowledge from the global manufacturing ecosystem. This visit enabled the team to engage with the manufacturers, technology providers and support organisations that have driven Singapore’s advanced industrial development.

Manufacturing is not an isolated industry, tethered to any one country. To fully appreciate the scale of the challenges and opportunities for the global manufacturing ecosystem, it is essential we exchange knowledge with international partners and businesses. Our goal is to understand the competitive advantages of other countries, learn from them, and collaborate to share best practices and processes. This will help engaged stakeholders to address the challenges of digital transformation across three key areas: ecosystems, economies, and workplaces.

As part of our first global mission to Singapore, the InterAct team had the opportunity to visit a wide range of manufacturing and technology organisations such as:

Additionally, InterAct hosted a collaborative workshop event in partnership with the ARTC, SIMTech, and the JTC Corporation sharing research generated from the Network’s Future of Work and Future of Digital Manufacturing Ecosystems projects, alongside insights on Singapore’s approach to digitalisation and sustainability.

Why visit Singapore?

This mission provided extensive opportunities to develop an enhanced understanding of the Singaporean approach to the process of digitalisation and manufacturing futures. Several key factors motivated the choice of Singapore as a destination for this initial visit:

  • Singapore is recognised as an exemplar of successful economic growth. A significant aspect of this success is the role that the Singaporean government has played in shaping the nation’s economic system through an industrial strategy (WIPO, 2022).
  • The strategy “AI for the Public Good, for Singapore and the World” was launched in 2023. This initiative aims to position Singapore as a “Smart Nation” to embrace digital transformation through driving global innovation (Smart Nation, 2024).
  • Singapore is a hub for global manufacturers because they have access to talent, political stability, and geographical advantages for entering Southeast Asian Markets (Knight Frank, 2024).
  • Singapore is also a start-up hub placed as second only after Silicon Valley (Heo, 2021).
  • Public institutions assist people in upskilling and reskilling for emerging jobs. Singapore significantly outperformed many European countries in the training participation rate among unemployed residents aged 25 to 64 (Ministry of Manpower, 2023).
Building a better global manufacturing future, together

InterAct hosted an event supported by the Knowledge Transfer Office of the ARTC and SIMTech – two institutes belonging to the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). This workshop was delivered with local stakeholders from both local and multinational manufacturing companies in Singapore.

Organisations participating in the event included 3M, Mitsubishi, Edwards, Kowa Skymech, and Halliburton. The practitioners and stakeholders shared their challenges, drivers, and ambitions for achieving a sustainable digital transformation in the future.

Participants had the opportunity to explore ideas and visions around the future of the manufacturing sector, with particular emphasis on what they believed like scenarios and key drivers of innovation would be, highlighting factors such as:

  • Singapore’s government is encouraging workers to develop skills and upgrade their proficiencies.
  • Singapore is a hub for businesses and provides the infrastructure to develop digital capabilities.
  • They are accelerating the pace of automation and building new autonomous technology access.
  • A recurrent theme was the aim for workers to be more efficient, dynamic, and sustainable.
  • They highlighted that the key gaps to achieve these primary targets are generating workplace competency, encouraging people to work with technology, and the contrast of individual mindsets vs the national outlook.
Key insights on Singapore’s manufacturing future
  • The Advanced Manufacturing Training Academy (AMTA) in Singapore is supporting companies in transforming their human capabilities through a sustainable upskilling programme: ‘Learn, Practise, and Implement’. This programme is anticipating the future of workforce roles and skills.
  • Due to its lack of natural resources, Singapore’s competitive advantage is its people. They focus on education by upskilling and reskilling their workforce, supported by the government. By developing new training in partnership with local institutions, Singapore is enhancing their digital capabilities for the future.
  • Government funding and support are key to encouraging companies to pursue digital transformation and engage their high-level managers in upskilling and reskilling programmes.
  • Roles are evolving, and manufacturing companies need more entrepreneurial and innovative leaders on the shop floor to make real-time decisions.
  • Cybersecurity and sustainability are prominent challenges for SMEs in the manufacturing industry. In the UK, there is a need for an integrated vision where the enhancement of human factors is aligned with sustainability.
  • MNEs from the manufacturing industry are relocating to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia, where they benefit from more physical space and available human resources.
  • Due to the labour gap in Singapore, headquarters located in this market are accelerating processes and driving digital transformation for MNEs.
  • Robots are enhancing working conditions by promoting a cleaner and safer environment for workers.
  • Singapore is ranked 2nd worldwide for robot adoption, while the UK ranks 28th.
  • Employees are encouraged to generate ideas, which are implemented through internal and external funding, creating an ecosystem of actionable intelligence.
  • The accumulation of skills is crucial for transferring knowledge to future generations and building human capability.
  • Singapore has an ambitious decarbonisation plan, despite challenges such as limited territory; importing 90% of its food, 50% of its water, and facing 30% risk of land submergence. They have established a ‘Green Skills Committee’ and are implementing the ‘Green Economy Regulatory Initiative’.
  • Singapore is prioritising “extended producer responsibility” to achieve a circular economy.
References

Heo, S. 2021. Singapore still first in tech innovation hub global ranking: KPMG survey. The Business Times, https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/startups-tech/technology/singapore-still- first-tech-innovation-hub-global-ranking-kpmg-survey

Knight Frank. (2024). Singapore Researc: Industrial & Logistics. https://content.knightfrank.com/research/529/documents/en/singapore-industrial-and-logistics-market-update-q1-2024-11134.pdf Accessed on July 2nd, 2024

Ministry of Manpower. 2023. Labour Force in Singapore. https://stats.mom.gov.sg/iMAS_PdfLibrary/mrsd_2023LabourForce.pdf

Smart Nation. (2024). AI for the Public Good, for Singapore and the World. https://www.smartnation.gov.sg/nais/

WIPO. 2022. Global Innovation Hotspots: Singapore’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Geneva: World Intellectual Property Organization.

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Professor Colin Lindsay brings Future of Work insights to Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce Roundtable

On 10th July, InterAct Future of Work co-investigator, Professor Colin Lindsay joined the Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce and industry guests at British Sugar, Peterborough to share insights on manufacturing workforces.

Professor Lindsay spoke to a wide range of stakeholders from across the region to discuss the barriers and potential solutions to the challenge of developing future talent – a key focus of the area’s Local Skills Improvement Plan.

Make UK have highlighted the scale of the problem of an aging manufacturing workforce: 1 in 5 employees are aged 55 and over, with 20% of workers set to retire in the next decade. This urgent issue has been investigated by the InterAct Future of Work team, culminating in the publication of the ‘Making Things Work’ – Perceptions of Manufacturing’ report in late 2023.

This report, based on a survey of over 2100 people, addressed the serious issue of how the UK public perceives the manufacturing sector. The researchers placed the spotlight on concerns such as the fact ‘over 70% of respondents have not heard or read anything about manufacturing in the last year’. The survey found that concerns over the sustainability, perceptions of low pay and a lack of flexible working were driving younger and more diverse potential applicants away.

Attendees of the session had the opportunity to discuss these findings, before hearing from Enguinity’s Fiona McGarry about how manufacturers can start to tackle the problem of attracting and engaging with younger generations through innovative solutions.

Discussing the event, Professor Lindsay said: “It was a pleasure to be able to address such a wide ranging group of manufacturers and key stakeholders in the sector. It is encouraging to see how receptive businesses are to the message we’re sharing, and that we’re starting to see real traction in addressing what is a huge and growing issue for industry.”

Read the ‘‘Making Things Work’ – Perceptions of Manufacturing’ report