DI GI TAL AN D I N N OVAT IO N O p p or t u ni t y Pe te r b oro u g h
Unlocking the full potential of manufacturing’s digital revolution
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utonomous robots, internet of things (IoT), augmented reality, additive manufacturing and big data are just some of the Industry 4.0 technologies that are transforming manufacturing around the world.
The project is centred around change management toolkits developed by Anglia Ruskin University and TWI in collaboration with international partners that encompass awareness and readiness, benefits identification, ROI analysis and ROSF Assessments.
The integration of digital and physical systems that began with computers and basic automation is evolving into responsive and intelligent machine learning. With minimal human intervention, processes on the factory floor can be streamlined and activities through entire supply chains adjusted in real time to cope with any disruption.
“While the toolkits and consultations can give manufacturers practical guides for adopting the technology, we want to use this revolution to address broader economic challenges around skills development and sustainability so we can really optimise growth across the manufacturing sector.”
Smart sensors in machinery can capture performance and send alerts when components need fixing. In logistics, there have already been successful roll-outs of products that can help reduce vehicular down-time, maximise capacity and potentially cut emissions by reducing unnecessary journeys.
Engagement through one to one consultations is supplemented with workshops featuring additional input from experts such as the Institute for Manufacturing, Innovate UK and Peterborough’s circular economy team to tackle broader obstacles for SMEs around cost effective solutions and sustainable growth.
The robots are coming A digitisation challenge With so much on offer it’s not just a case of prioritising, as Tom Hennessy, Chief Executive of Opportunity Peterborough, the economic development company owned by Peterborough City Council, explains, “Industry 4.0 technologies promise a lot - greater efficiency, higher-quality goods and reduced costs. For manufacturers in particular where so many processes can, and are being, automated, this is a huge catalyst for change and competition. “This is a whole new way of working that’s encouraging manufacturers to look at their entire operating systems. Some manufacturers have already made great headway but it’s still an emerging area. People are aware of the components that make up ‘Industry 4.0’, but we need to look at how all of these channels and systems can work together in the most effective way whilst causing minimal disruption to productivity as they’re rolled out.” To provide manufacturers with practical support to digitise, Opportunity Peterborough recently joined GrowIn 4.0, a European project (partly funded under the European Union Interreg North Sea Region Programme), that aims to help SME manufacturers across the East of England adopt these new technologies to their full potential.
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The rise of robotics and automation has made manufacturing one of Peterborough’s, and the UK’s, most productive sectors. At the same time though, ONS data shows a decline in manufacturing jobs, but, as Tom explains, this isn’t the result of a sector wide jobs cull “It simply isn’t the case that once smart technology like autonomous robots come in that the human workforce is ejected - lower value work might be automated and digitised, but this frees up a business’ workforce to take on higher value tasks, often for higher pay. “There’s also been a shift in line with the broader economy around contract working. Within ONS data, agency staff are counted in the ‘business and administration’ sector, rather than under the sector of the business paying for their expertise and time. There’s been a lot of debate about the gig economy but for many people that work in areas like manufacturing, and even teaching, contract work can sometimes pay better, and offer a preferable working pattern to permanent employment with one company. “There’s a lot of nuance to this discussion, and it’s one we should certainly be having given the rapid changes across industry, and even society, as we become a much more digitally driven. While