Overview:

UK manufacturing supply chains have been tested to their limits by the global disruptions of recent years, from Brexit to COVID 19 and the crisis in Ukraine. To regain competitiveness during this turbulent time, firms are urged to take stock of their supply chains and consider:

• What could the future of UK manufacturing look like?

• What are the associated business models?

• How can they leverage industrial digital technologies to create a more sustainable, responsible future?

Join us for an upcoming webinar, on Thursday 26 May at 12:00pm, examining the results of a survey of manufacturing firms in the Midlands region and launching the ‘Future of Manufacturing Ecosystems’ project. This is a joint programme between the InterAct Network led by Professor Jan Godsell (Dean of the School of Business and Economics, Loughborough University), Make UK and Midlands Engine.

The programme is Made Smarter Innovation funded and Economic and Social Research Council-led. It aims to identify the vision of 2040 for the UK manufacturing industry and develop practical roadmaps to support the transition.

Webinar agenda:

12:00 - 12:05 - Welcome and introduction - Charlotte Horobin, Make UK

12:05 -12:15 – The role of manufacturing in the Midlands - Delma Dwight, Midlands Engine

12:15 - 12:35 - Mapping the current state of manufacturing capability in the Midlands - Frances Zhang, Loughborough University

12:35 - 12:50 – The Future of Manufacturing Ecosystems - Jan Godsell, Loughborough University

12:50 - 13:00 - Panel Q&A Chaired by Charlotte Horobin