There was some good news from manufacturers organisation Make UK this week – it seems Britain’s manufacturing firms are finally starting to embrace the digital revolution.
The report, from Make UK and software company Infor, said more businesses in the sector are accelerating their investment in digital technologies in an effort to improve productivity and to counter the serious supply chain issues caused by Covid and Brexit.
It also revealed that four out of five manufacturing firms are planning to boost their digital investment over the next two years, partly due to the current financial situation, in particular the cost of energy.
Nina Gryf, Senior Policy Manager of Make UK, said: “Manufacturers are undergoing a profound digital transformation with the potential to transform productivity, resilience, and sustainability. “The investments companies are making will play a key role in the future of manufacturing, powering them through the challenges that lie ahead with greater productivity, better skill levels and reduced emissions.”
As a business that has been very vocal about the urgent need for a digital revolution in manufacturing, this is music to our ears.
Finally, it seems the message is getting through to firms that the best way to boost productivity, cut waste and future-proof their business is to invest in digital technology.
If this is indeed a sea-change in the UK manufacturing sector’s attitude to digital, then it might even help us close the productivity gap with out G7 peers, whom we’ve lagged behind for several years.
There is one note of caution in the Make UK report, however. A third of companies say that the biggest inhibitor to more rapid digital adoption is a lack of technical skills within the business.
This has long been a problem for manufacturing, but it is a problem that the sector cannot solve alone. It needs a concerted effort from all parties, including employers, government, schools and training providers, to equip young people with the skills they need for the future, and then to continue to improve their skills while they are in work.
However, a lack of technical skills doesn’t have to be a barrier to digitalisation if manufacturers invest in a system like POET that does a lot of the work for them.
POET is the digital way for manufacturers to maximise productivity. The cloud-based platform captures and analyses production data, prioritises activities and provides root cause analysis and action plans to drive waste out of the business.
Manufacturers don’t need to worry about having technical skills in the business because our team of experts is on hand to guide them through a simple onboarding process.
We work with them to populate the POET platform and customise the business metrics so they understand the opportunities it presents.
If you would like to learn more about how POET can help your manufacturing business embrace the digital revolution, get in touch.
