EEF and Oracle have joined forces to get UK manufacturers fit for the fourth industrial revolution.
Eight in ten UK manufacturers say that the fourth industrial revolution will be a business reality within the next 10 years, driven by digitisation, big data and other rapid advances in technology.
This new industrial age – sometimes referred to as Industry 4.0 – is widely expected to open up new opportunities, as well as challenges, for UK manufacturers and industry as a whole.
TM Smart Factory Expo
Nov 2-3, The NEC (Birmingham)
The Manufacturer Smart Factory Expo is the UK’s only dedicated exhibition in response to Industry 4.0
Showcasing the best solution providers and technology offerings, this unique event is for manufacturing business leaders keen to adopt the relevant tools and knowledge to drive business growth.
- Discover new, more cost-effective solutions to existing processes
- Hear how other manufacturers are dealing with the fourth industrial revolution
- Network with new suppliers, customers and business partners
- Watch live demonstrations of the latest products & how they integrate with each other
- Uncover new ideas and insights to grow your business
As a result, collaboration between the technology and manufacturing sectors will gain in strategic importance, particularly in driving productivity, innovation and growth.
Critical to this is identifying manufacturers’ experience with and understanding of the fourth industrial revolution, what they want to achieve for their business and how they think digitisation and new technologies will support them.
To explore these themes, the collaboration will kick off with a series of focus groups with UK manufacturers which will culminate in an executive report intended to help industry leaders to identify the key barriers, enablers and drivers.
Above all, however, it will provide practical guidance on how manufacturers can adapt and implement new technologies in a way that suits their individual businesses.
Chief executive of EEF, Terry Scuoler commented: “This collaboration is an important step forward in providing our sector with thought leadership and practical support and guidance ahead of the biggest industrial transformation of our time.
“It is vital that British companies are able to fully realise the opportunities and stay at the forefront of the fourth industrial revolution.”
VP of Applications at Oracle UK, Mark Newton added: “The British manufacturing industry has always kept up with the pace of innovation, but the advent of the fourth industrial revolution marks one of the biggest technology-driven shifts in modern times.
“Working together with EEF, we seek to provide manufacturers with both the information and practical paths they will need to successfully navigate the changing technology landscape. This represents a significant opportunity for manufacturers to transform their operations and harness the benefits of digital cloud technologies in both the UK and in global marketplaces.”
