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InterAct expands global programme with research mission in Malaysia

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

Attendees also contributed to an extended shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities for the sector through the workshops built around the approaches of the InterAct Future of Work and Future of Digital Manufacturing Ecosystems teams, led by Dr. Robert Stewart, Dr. Carolina Marin-Cadavid, Dr. Usman Ghani, Anna Mate, Jose Hernandez and Millie Rodgers.

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.

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InterAct Blog

Sustainability and supply chains: a fundamental issue of our times

Acting to improve sustainability is increasingly important to forward-thinking organisations.

It is no longer sufficient to see sustainability as an ‘added extra’, distinct from the fundamental needs of a business. The motivation for changing an organisational view of sustainability may differ, but can include:

  • playing a part in a progressive vision, value set, and culture
  • as a tactic to appeal to customers
  • responding to changing climate conditions to maintain access to essential resources
  • ensuring regulatory compliance.

When we consider sustainability, we need to take a comprehensive view, examining not only what it is made of, but also where it comes from, and how it is moved from end to end. Piles of electronic waste or scenes of plastic discarded in the ocean are a testament to the environmental impact once a product has left your ownership.

International standards and regulations formalise the responsibility to act – through initiatives like the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol and its Scope 1/2/3 accounting for carbon, or incoming EU instruments like the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) or Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDDD). Delivering your sustainability goals and future-proofing your business means taking action on your supply chain.

The struggle to survive – the problems of today and the challenges of tomorrow

The challenges confronting supply chain leaders are constantly growing:

  • challenging business environment
  • huge complexity and ‘permacrises’
  • global, multi-tiered value chains
  • pace of change in operations and regulations
  • competing priorities
  • lack of quality data and visibility.

With so many urgent priorities, it can be tempting to see the sustainability agenda as another just another complication to throw into the mix. Understanding the business’ place in a changing world and rewiring it to thrive there is a daunting prospect in a reality of short-term targets, annual results cycles, and returns to shareholders and investors.

The world of supply chain management is changing

Driven by these challenges, supply chain management is itself evolving. There has long been recognition that leanness and efficiency can equate to rigidity and brittleness. Relentless focus on profit, and therefore cost, reduces flexibility and pushes every actor in the chain to the brink, with catastrophic effects when a link breaks.

Covid-19, blockages in the Suez Canal, and forced diversions from the Red Sea are all highly memorable recent examples of this disruption. Conversely, some of the world’s most profitable companies have shared a common characteristic, being recognised for their ‘elite supply chains’. Amazon, Nestle, Apple, McDonalds, Scheider Electric, Colgate-Palmolive, and P&G all enjoy this distinction.

Business leaders are increasingly drawn from, or come to focus on, supply chains as a value generator and a business protector that can:

  • Deliver extremes of customisation in the product range, packaging, and presentation, worldwide, on time.
  • Provide ready substitutes to seamlessly switch to when faced with trade barriers, blocked trade routes, or a supply breakdown.
  • Offer hyper-personalisation alongside operational excellence, with impeccable credentials on the provenance of materials.

Supply chain excellence is no longer just about getting the right product, at the right time, to the right place. It is also the ability to configure the chain to withstand volatility, be resilient, and support strategic goals.

What might the successful, sustainable supply chain-oriented companies of the future look like?

From short-term gains to long-term value

The first key consideration is what new strategies businesses are looking to adopt, in which the supply chain is a fundamental enabler. A good illustration is the automotive sector. For large manufacturers, value is usually delivered on the sale of a brand-new vehicle. However, many of these companies are now developing long-term lease and maintenance strategies – promoting long term value and paying for usage, rather than ownership.

This marks an important departure from a total focus on short-term performance goals, where there is little incentive to plan for longevity. As these business strategies change, these new products and services depend entirely on reimagining the supply chain from linear to circular; from a source of costs to a generator of value. 

From mutual suspicion to targeted collaboration

As companies have sought to maintain their edge and provide fair competition, historically, meaningful collaboration has been challenging. However, organisations and coalitions are taking positive steps by pooling resources and information to demonstrate progress. For example, in fashion and apparel traceability platforms like Worldly, or the retail-oriented BRC Mondra coalition which focuses on automated life cycle assessments (LCAs).

Developing staff capabilities for sustainability is rapidly becoming a key area for organisational training. Whilst, each organisation may face specific sustainability challenges, much of the basic knowledge required to address these challenges is common across sectors. Time and effort can be saved by pooling resources, with the added benefits of building connections, expanding collective understanding and setting consistent standards for providers across the chain.

From guarding data to promoting visibility

There is significant complexity in knowing what needs to be shared, transferred, or updated for different reporting or operational control requirements. Data, and the understanding of using it effectively, is increasingly jealously guarded. However, a purely transactional approach is counterproductive when success depends on effective collaboration with value chain partners. Proposed actions to decarbonise freight transport cannot be imposed suddenly by a customer to their logistics provider without incurring service impacts or indirect cost increases.

We need to move away from ideas of one-directional ‘supplier management’ towards meaningful, supportive partnership development. This approach builds in healthy interdependence, commitment and collaboration by design, with multi-year agreements and shared risk/reward contractual agreements. Rather than seeking to out-manoeuvre suppliers, successful businesses should try to align strategic goals for mutual benefit.

From demand-driven to demand-shaping

Consumer consumption patterns are at the heart of the sustainability challenge. Examples such as fast-fashion, with frenzied marketing stoking demand for inexpensive, often synthetic, on-trend products with a short lifetime that results in huge pollution and waste in landfill.

It is often said that the most sustainable product is the one you already have. But how can businesses respond to the challenge to sell less new products? Fashion brand Patagonia offer one good example, seeking to change demand by designing for longevity and offering a commitment to repairs. Even enormous e-commerce companies such as eBay are now offering free sales on second hand clothing in response to the growth from Vinted and other similar platforms that threaten disruption.

What does this mean for the sustainability agenda?

Meeting your business goals means achieving your supply chain goals.; and the evolution of supply chains necessitates putting sustainability challenges and opportunities at the heart of your strategy. We know that the climate crisis will get worse before it gets better, as recent and future mitigating efforts will have a delayed impact, but we shouldn’t let that discourage taking action. We are already seeing the impact of climate change on supply chains, so building in these considerations is also an essential part of creating resilience. As supply chains operations are reinvented from efficiency management to the development of resilient value creation, they can and must incorporate sustainability to shape the business of tomorrow.

This article was published by Loughborough University, read the original version here.

About the author

Judith Richardson leads the sustainability practice at management consultancy, Argon & Co UK, working with clients to operationalise their sustainability strategies, turning long-term visions into tangible action that makes a difference.

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News

InterAct expands global programme with India research mission

At the end of October 2024, the InterAct team continued their series of InterAct Global research missions with a visit to Pune, India. 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 electric vehicle (EV) sector that are working towards making Pune the EV manufacturing hub of the future.

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.

India represents an interesting case study for innovation, with clearly defined priorities in upskilling the future workforce and improving diversity and inclusion in manufacturing. The team had the chance to explore this in more depth through visits to various organisations and companies including:

  • Spark Minda
  • Bajaj Auto
  • ARAI (The Automotive Research Association of India)
  • Tata Motors
  • Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Pune

InterAct had the chance to expand upon these visits and discussions with a round table session and two workshops, hosted in collaboration with Symbiosis International University (SIU). These events brogh together a range of high calibre attendees, including those from automotive and EV manufacturing, artificial intelligence and academia, to collaborate on ‘the need of the hour’ (Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar, Pro Chancellor, Symbiosis International University).

These engaging sessions offered participants a chance to hear from the InterAct team, SIU academics and industry stakeholders as they discussed:

  • How to make the Pune region the hub of electric vehicle production by 2050: allowing key industry stakeholders to share their expertise and views for the direction of the sector.
  • The role of Pune in the 2040 electric vehicle global value chain: encouraging participants to envision the stages of development needed to succeed in their share regional vision.
  • The future of work in the Pune electric vehicle industry: highlighting the importance of upskilling and education, as well as looking at how to make manufacturing more appealing to gen Z.

Attendees also contributed to an extended shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities for the manufacturing sector through the workshops built around the approaches of the InterAct Future of Work and Future of Digital Manufacturing Ecosystems teams, led by Professor Janet Godsell, Dr. Robert Stewart, Dr. Carolina Marin-Cadavid and Millie Rodgers.

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.

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News

InterAct joins supply chain industry leaders for UK SCALE Centre Symposium

On Monday 7 October, InterAct representatives joined leaders and executives from across the supply chain industry to the UK Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) Centre Symposium at Loughborough University.

This symposium aimed to bring together key stakeholders from industry, policy and academia to discuss and co-create visions how the UK SCALE Centre, and supply chain community, can confront some of the biggest challenges facing the sector.

In recent years, manufacturers and logistics providers have faced major systemic shocks such as COVID-19, Brexit and the conflict in Ukraine. These difficulties have created a sentiment among some academics and industry leaders that collective forethought and action are needed to protect from future shocks.

Discussing the motivation behind the symposium, Professor Janet Godsell, InterAct Co-director and Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Strategy said: “The future can often seem distant and less concerning than the problems of today, particularly in the supply chain and manufacturing sectors. It has felt as though we are living in an age of ‘permacrisis’, constantly fighting just to stay on track.

“These challenges have proven the vital importance of considering potential futures, today. We need to make a fundamental change in the way we pursue growth to better balance the environmental, social and economic cost of growth, and that’s we’ve brought together so many different voices today to discuss making that change.”

Attendees were welcomed by Vice-Chancellor of Loughborough University, Professor Nick Jennings, before hearing from Sir John Peace, Chair of Midlands Engine, as he discussed his enthusiasm for the potential of the UK SCALE Centre and the opportunities for regional benefits to the Midlands.

The initial talks were followed by an in-depth look at the place of the Centre within the wider Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Global SCALE Network. Dr Chris Caplice, Executive Director of MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, also provided an overview of the possibilities for businesses to engage with the Centre: “The chance for academia and industry to work together is always exciting because it opens up new opportunities. One has a longer-term view, and the other is more set in the real world and provides short-term views, so they complement each other well.

“Many figures from industry haven’t really had a chance to consider how they can work with academia to achieve mutual benefits, so it’s great to see them come together and explore that.”

Four expert speakers then examined the influence and impact of four key themes for the development of future supply chains:

  • Supply chain digitisation – Tim Lawrence, Director of Digital Supply Chain at Digital Catapult
  • The need to evolve our workforce to meet the anticipated needs of the supply chain – Dr Grant Charlesworth-Jones, D4Drivers
  • Supply chain sustainability – Judith Richardson, Managing Principal and Head of Sustainability at Argon & Co
  • Talent for the future – Jo Pick, Chief People Officer at Wincanton Plc

Discussing their participation in the day, Judith Richardson of Argon & Co said: “We were incredibly excited when we heard that Loughborough was partnering with MIT to set up a SCALE Centre in the UK. As someone from the Midlands, and an advocate for the sustainability agenda, I was delighted to hear that this initiative would be landing in the region that kickstarted the industrial revolution as we look towards creating a new ‘green revolution’.”

Dr. Charlesworth-Jones added: “Loughborough embodies the essential forward-thinking approach to making a better future, where we can deliver more on a sustainable basis, both in an economic and environmental sense… they are bringing together the best that the UK has to offer to create supply chain solutions so that we can get what we want, when we want it, without it costing the earth.”

The afternoon session saw attendees reconvene to consider the learnings from the morning, engaging with an innovative workshop approach that saw them working together on developing ‘visions for the future of supply chains in 2040’. This workshop gave participants the opportunity to showcase their professional insights and expertise, sharing these through short presentations.

Hear from SCALE Centre Symposium speakers

If you want to learn more visit the dedicated UK SCALE Centre microsite.

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News

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.

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News

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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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.”

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News

InterAct goes global with Singapore research mission

The InterAct team kicked off a series of InterAct Global research missions with a visit to Singapore at the end of June 2024. InterAct Global is expansion of the project, designed to bring insights from international manufacturing and technological innovation to the UK sector. This visit enabled the team to engage with the manufacturers, technology providers and support organisations that have driven Singapore’s industrial development.

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.

Singapore represents an interesting case study for innovation, with a strong track record of economic growth and clearly defined strategies for industrial development. The nation’s role as a hub for trade, finance and technology in the region demonstrates the potential benefits of a unified approach. The team had the chance to explore this in more depth through visits to various organisations and companies including:

InterAct had the chance to expand upon these visits and discussions with a full day workshop hosted at the ARTC, bringing together staff from various additional businesses, including M, Mitsubishi, Edwards and Kowa Skymech.

This engaging session offered participants the chance to hear from both InterAct Co-directors and A*STAR staff as they discussed:

  • Building the next-gen workforce: Professor Jillian MacBryde’s session highlighting the importance of talent acquisition, development, and reskilling to bridge the skills gap.
  • Digital transformation: Professor Janet Godsell’s talk shed light on creating efficient digital ecosystems within supply chains and manufacturing landscapes.
  • AI-powered future: Dr. Haiyue Zhu showcased cutting-edge AI-powered smart robotics and the transformative potential of automation.
  • Singapore’s decarbonisation roadmap: Daren Tan outlined Singapore’s ambitious plans for decarbonisation, addressing environmental challenges head-on.

Attendees also contributed to an extended shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities for the manufacturing sector through two workshops built around the approaches of the InterAct Future of Work and Future of Digital Manufacturing Ecosystems teams.

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.

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People Resources

Flexible working and manufacturing

Research overview

Flexible working continues to increase, including for frontline workers, according to new data from the flexible working experts at social business Flexibility Works.

Did you know 67% of workers work flexibly, up from 61% last year and 46% before the pandemic? Now, 85% of workers either already work flexibly, or would like to.

The spotlight on flexible working is moving from hybrid for home workers to different types of flexibility that frontline workers, like those in manufacturing, can use to improve their work life balance and wellbeing, and deliver significant business benefits too.

You can download Flexibility Works’ Flex for Life 2024 report free to access:

  • Big picture flex: A short, need-to-know overview of what’s happening with flexible working in workplaces.
  • Business case for flexible working: Latest data evidence from employers and workers.
  • 7 Steps to flex: Data-driven guidance on how to get flexible working right, including in frontline industries.
  • Business stories: Examples of where flexibility is working well, including McAllister Litho Glasgow’s print factory.

The report is based on data from Scottish employers, workers and unemployed adults looking for work and is Scotland’s most comprehensive analysis of flexible working. The findings are similar to UK-wide studies.