The recession of 2008 left the Norwich engineering and manufacturing company Lintott in dire straits, heading down a one-way street to oblivion. A new management team took the company over in 2012 and decided on a strategy that had data and digitalisation at its core. The transformation has been nothing short of remarkable.
When you are thinking of entering the chocolate business, bearing the name Cadbury is hardly a handicap. But when James Cadbury – the great-great-great-grandson of the founder of the brand, John Cadbury – decided to create his own version of what was once the family business, he knew the traditional high-investment, high-risk way wouldn’t work for him.
When it comes to digital technologies, there’s a danger of being seduced by the shiny kit or dazzled by the data. Exciting business opportunities entice us, and it’s easy to overlook the people who actually make things happen.
I'm not going to spoil your enjoyment of the Annual Manufacturing Report 2019 by spilling all the detail here. But I do want to give you a flavour of what we discovered in this comprehensive overview of the sector’s state of mind in this critical year.
A framework has been published showing how blockchain technology can be used to enhance the security, privacy and manageability of IoT devices and networks.
There is a growing need for UK manufacturers to embrace new technologies as they face ever-increasing demand to improve efficiency. Whether this is due to foreign competitors, the ambiguity of what to expect post-Brexit, or simply stakeholder pressure, businesses large and small are forced to do more with less.
My afternoon at this year’s Manufacturing Automation and Robotics Summit included a roundtable discussion on Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems, with delegates coming together to identify the key takeaways for them and their businesses.
Digital technologies unquestionably have the power to make supply chains more transparent and more efficient. They connect manufacturers to suppliers at one end and to customers at the other.
My morning roundtables at this year's Manufacturing Automation and Robotics Summit included discussions around 'Autonomous Mobile Robotics', 'Cobots versus Standard Robots', and 'End of Line Automation'.
More than 200 UK manufacturing leaders and supporters gathered at The House of Lords to help launch The Manufacturer’s 2019 flagship series of events - Digital Manufacturing Week.
