BIGGER, BETTER, SOONER

Smart Factory Expo is back for 2023 and if you’re thinking it seems like it came around fast, that’s because it has. From its new home at the NEC, Birmingham, as part of Manufacturing and Engineering (M&E) Week, Smart Factory Expo 2023 will take place on 7-8 June. And even though it’ll have only been six months or so since the last instalment, this year’s Smart Factory Expo is shaping up to be even bigger and better. The Manufacturer’s James Devonshire sat down with some key partners to learn more

What better way to kick off my Smart Factory Expo 2023 coverage than by finding out what we can expect from Innovate UK, the UK’s national innovation agency, at this year’s event.

Innovate UK is a non-departmental government body with a mission to drive sustainable economic growth through business-led innovation, by investing in innovation and giving businesses access to support.

At Smart Factory Expo 2023, all of Innovate UK’s services will come together to deliver two core aspects of the show: Made Smarter Innovation Alley and the Innovate UK Innovation Village.

To find out more about both offerings, I caught up with Innovate UK KTN’s AnnaMarie Taylor and Matt Wasley and James Crossling from HVM Catapult.

All the pillars of UK innovation under one umbrella

The most notable difference about Innovate UK’s presence at Smart Factory Expo 2023 is its structure. In previous years, the agency’s different streams have showcased the amazing work they are each doing to drive innovation, albeit usually via separate stands and showcases.

For 2023, all the organisational elements that make up the overall Innovate UK system will come together under one umbrella in the Innovate UK Innovation Village. This will include Innovate UK KTN, Innovate UK Edge, the High Value Manufacturing Catapult (with all of its seven centres) and Made Smarter Innovation.

Showcasing leading edge innovation in low carbon advanced manufacturing, the Innovation Village and Innovation Stage will feature companies supported by Innovate UK, investment support and funding opportunities, as well as a series of speakers who are leaders in their industry.

At the Innovation Stage, exhibition visitors can learn from inspirational speakers and partners championing and demonstrating innovation in low carbon advanced manufacturing: from the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre’s (AMRC) open-access smart factory framework,

Anna-Marie

Digital Transformation Innovation Village

The Innovation Village will demonstrate innovation across four areas that Innovate UK believes are fundamental to capitalise on the huge opportunity the UK has to become a world-class destination of choice for advanced low carbon manufacturing:

• Net zero: Materials and manufacturing will be technically advanced and play a vital role in achieving the UK’s net zero target by 2050 and meeting global sustainable development goals.

• Resilience in supply chains: Enabling companies to deal with uncertainty around changes to process, demand or supply, so the UK can create more resilient supply chains, creating more value with less cost and waste.

• Digitalisation: Innovate UK is working with manufacturing and digital industries to help the UK gain maximum advantage from the digital revolution.

• Skills and diversity: Courageous leadership, critical skills foresight, upskilling the current workforce and attracting diverse talent to drive UK manufacturing in all regions and nations.

Factory+, to the National Composite Centre’s (NCC) certification by analysis project. Apprentices from the HVM Catapult network will also talk about their careers and aspirations.

There will also be the opportunity to have your say on the Materials and Manufacturing Vision 2050, which looks at challenges and opportunities; it will outline a route to building on manufacturing capacity to make the UK a global centre for net zero sustainable production and reimagines the industry of the future.

Innovate UK’s Materials and Manufacturing Vision 2050 will be of significant importance for both our economy and society as the UK moves to establish itself as the destination of choice for advanced low carbon manufacturing in a net zero focused world.

So why not come along and join the conversation on this crucial area of future manufacturing and learn about where Innovate UK funding will be directed going forward.

By providing access to inspiring talks, innovative companies, innovation and investment support, the Innovate UK Innovation Village represents a significant opportunity to progress your innovation aspirations.

Innovation that’s right up your alley

A regular feature at the heart of Smart Factory Expo, Made Smarter Innovation ...continued on Page 9.

ABOVE: In 2022, iov42 met with lots of different manufacturers on Innovation Alley – everyone from pharmaceutical manufacturers to companies manufacturing art

Deloitte will focus on how digital engineering and smart manufacturing can enable your organisation to design, manufacture and operate products that are more sustainable

From seven smart factory sins to seven virtues

Deloitte’s ‘7 Sins of a Smart Factory Journey’ was a hit at last year’s Smart Factory Expo. The brilliant keynote by Deloitte’s UK leader for Industry 4.0, partner Nick Davis, and subsequent online article on The Manufacturer website garnered significant interest and traction.

Then there was Chip, the robot dog that captivated everyone who saw it at last year’s event, with its super-realistic movements, cute poses and book of tricks. To say we were excited to hear what Deloitte had planned for this year’s event is an understatement. We caught up with Nick (fresh back from Hannover Messe) to find out more.

Focus on sustainability

“The main theme that will run across all of our presentations and our stand this year will be sustainability”, Nick said.

“With Smart Factory Expo now a part of Manufacturing and Engineering Week, we will focus on how digital engineering and smart manufacturing can enable your organisation to design, manufacture and operate products that are more sustainable.”

The Deloitte stand will be the home of everything Deloitte. Stop by to learn about the breadth of expertise Deloitte offers; chat about your engineering and manufacturing transformation journey, experience immersive demos, hear about Deloitte’s project experience or just come to say hello and network.

Visitors to the Deloitte stand will discover how sustainability can be at the heart of product design and smart factory transformations. “We’ll cover sustainable product design, circular ‘zero waste’ manufacturing, net zero workforce and sustainable transformation journeys,” Nick added.

Seven new sins

Deloitte will also be hosting four sessions in the Solutions Theatres over the two days. So, can we expect seven new smart factory sins, or has the focus changed for 2023?

Building on the success of last year’s ‘7 Sins of a Smart Factory Journey’, Deloitte will, on day one, reveal the ‘7 Virtues of Smart Factory’.

Nick said: “We will look at seven considerations for organisations on their sustainable engineering and manufacturing journeys and how to successfully navigate them. Later, we will talk about what product development will look like in the future as we embrace sustainability and the latest engineering practices. The session will cover material selection, circular design, durability and business models.

“On day two, we will share a client case study on reducing energy usage at a manufacturing facility, and how to get your smart factory to net zero.”

And finally, will Chip be returning?

Chip the dog will indeed be back this year and this time around he’ll have his own house. In 2022, poor old Chip was resigned to being charged in a cupboard – not exactly befitting a dog of such talent. This year, Chip will rest and charge in a bespoke dog house, further adding to the whole experience for visitors.

When it comes to innovation, as well as Chip, Deloitte will also have its virtual reality Metaverse experience, which will enable people to immersively explore its Dusseldorf, Wichita and Kyoto Smart Factories using a VR headset.

Meanwhile, a large screen will demonstrate some of Deloitte’s other innovative solutions. One such solution is GreenSpace Tech by Deloitte, which is a dynamic ecosystem that helps accelerate decarbonisation by enabling businesses to select the right technology to help to reduce investment risk.

Visitors can also expect some classic Deloitte demos on 5G, cyber security, digital transformation and more – everything you’d expect from the company’s Industry 4.0 offering.

Alley will be back once again this year, showcasing a host of the UK’s leading edge digital technology start-ups and scale-ups. These exciting, disruptive companies are ones to watch in the digital manufacturing space and will likely change the sector landscape over the next five to ten years.

Funded by Innovate UK and supported by Innovate UK KTN, Made Smarter Innovation Alley will feature no less than 30 game-changing innovators in the digital manufacturing space, each of which is younger than five years old or employs less than ten members of staff.

Confirmed Innovation Alley exhibitors (at time of writing) include:

• Sensor IT

• E-Nano

• TrackMyMachines

• Veribli

• FC Labs

• Clyde HSI

• iov42

• SMSTech

• Emerging Data Technologies

• CUEInterative

• DataFlowIQ

One Innovation Alley exhibitor that caught this reporter’s eye last year was FC Labs, with their incredibly powerful CoreTech technology which monitors fluctuations in mental attention. By tracking this data in real-time via two non-invasive sensors, CoreTech can flag when a potential workplace accident or incident due to human error might occur. This simple yet highly effective solution can empower individuals, teams and businesses to perform at their best, avoid accidents and injuries and improve overall health and wellbeing. Do check it out.

As well as getting to showcase their innovative solutions to manufacturers and other attendees, Innovation Alley exhibitors will also get access to Innovate UK experts, to help them hone their presentation skills and get the most out of their interactions with connections at the event. Furthermore, each Innovation Alley exhibitor will get the chance to pitch their solution(s) on the Innovation Stage to a select audience of interested individuals.

Scan the QR code to discover how iov42 found that Made Smarter Innovation Alley was a great testbed for their early stage blockchain technology.

If you’re going to be at Smart Factory Expo 2023, make sure you call in on Innovation Alley and see some of the amazing solutions on show first-hand.

Dr Megan Ronayne, Head of Industrial Technologies and Manufacturing at Innovate UK KTN said: “Made Smarter Innovation Alley is a key event in the manufacturing calendar, showcasing the most innovative, game-changing digital technology companies that are helping to advance the global manufacturing sector. At Innovate UK KTN, collaboration is core to what we do, and it is great to play such an essential role in connecting companies on the alley to potential partners, suppliers, customers and funders.”

If you are interested in being a part of Made Smarter Innovation Alley in the future visit: bit.ly/InnovAlleySignUp.

Navigating the digital manufacturing space

As part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC), the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) will have a presence in the Innovate UK Innovation Village. However, it will also have its own

ABOVE: The MTC is seeing more and more businesses embarking on digital transformation journeys, driven by a number of potential benefits separate stand outside in the main Smart Factory Expo arena to showcase the specific help it can provide manufacturing organisations.

MTC Director Andy Barnes gave us a flavour of what’s in store for MTC stand visitors this June.

A digital focus

The Manufacturing Technology Centre’s big focus for Smart Factory 2023 is digital transformation and, in particular, how organisations throughout the supply chain can learn to navigate the array of technologies and capabilities within Industry 4.0 in order to unlock new efficiencies within their manufacturing organisations, realise significant business outcomes and have a positive impact on society.

“The digital manufacturing landscape is very complex and that can be pretty daunting for many businesses”, said Andy. “One of the ways we can help is by guiding businesses through it using the frameworks and roadmaps we have developed, which can be applied to specific businesses and sectors.

“To help them on that journey from where they currently are – wherever that may be in terms of maturity or commitment –towards realising some of the benefits of smart manufacturing.”

Andy added that the MTC is seeing more businesses embarking on this journey, driven both by the traditional benefits, such as productivity gains, as well as benefits which add value to their offerings. A good example of this is manufacturers using data to start taking advantage of and generating additional revenue from servitisation.

Such an approach not only adds value to customers but also to their own business. However, it requires a certain approach to data – both legacy and new – to ensure they are not only capturing the right information but getting genuine value from it. “That’s a lot of what we’re doing now,” Andy said.

Leveraging tech to get the best out of data

Andy told us that as well as supporting industry within the UK on routes to industrial digital transformation the MTC is also focused right now on leveraging new disruptive technology, such as Artificial

Intelligence

(AI) and Machine Learning

(ML) to help businesses maximise value from their data.

By using real-time data (providing it’s being captured), organisations can look to evolve and improve their machinery to make it work harder for them. Such an approach might include adding sensors to a piece of legacy equipment so that insights into its performance, availability and other metrics can be gleaned. Improvement plans can then be drawn up to boost the machine’s performance going forward. The MTC will be showcasing such sensors at Smart Factory Expo.

In a similar vein, technological advances like digital twins are making waves in the manufacturing industry. They enable organisations of all shapes and sizes to model various aspects of their businesses, both in design and operation, such as their production line, production facility and supply chain, so they can test changes to better determine their potential impact.

Through digital models, businesses can discover what a new product introduction might look like and also what it will entail, before they make any real-world changes. This allows organisations to effectively derisk their investments, as well as be more agile and adaptable.

Specific SME support Oftentimes, we see SMEs, in particular, reluctant to take the digital plunge, whether it be because of costs, lack of skills, etc.

How can the MTC help in that regard?

Andy continued: “With such a complex digital environment, there is a hesitancy for SMEs to step foot into the landscape. But where can they go for help? “SME’s are hesitant to reach out to one of the big consultancies, simply because of their size.

“Likewise, if you contact a software vendor, there’s a good chance they’ll sell you their solution, whether it’s a good fit for you or not.”

One of the roles the MTC plays is to provide independent support to SMEs who want to take advantage of digital and working with solutions providers who can help them do so. The experience and advice its experts can offer is so valuable and relatable because they simply understand manufacturers and their pain points.

Come along to the MTC stand and talk with experts, engineers and thought leaders who have decades worth of experience between them in specific manufacturing sectors such as aerospace, defence, automotive, construction, agritech, etc. You’ll be able to see from real world examples and demonstrators how the MTC has helped businesses like yours.

You can also discover more about the MTC’s Manufacturing Training Centre, which boasts a whole range of offerings designed to help businesses both big and small overcome their upskilling challenges.

Digital transformation doesn’t need to be difficult (or necessarily cost a fortune) For many manufacturing organisations –particularly the SMEs who are the lifeblood of British industry – digital transformation presents a number of challenges. Whether it’s having the right skills to proceed, or justifying the necessary investment, digital transformation is often prohibitive for SMEs.

However, digital transformation doesn’t need to be a one time, big time effort which costs hundreds of thousands of pounds and takes years to complete. Most companies can realise tangible benefits by making a few small changes and taking it from there. It’s a reality that RS Industria Founder and Managing Director, Richard Jeffers, knows all too well.

Start simple, grow smart

“There’s a lot of hype around digital transformation. A lot of the messages focus on how it’s got to be significant and enterprise-wide but even for large companies that can be challenging,” Richard said.

“One of our key messages will be how digital transformation can be for everyone and you shouldn’t be put off by the jargon. You don’t necessarily need to become a digital specialist or data scientist to realise results.”

Start simple, grow smart is the message the RS team wants to once again portray this year, highlighting to manufacturers that you don’t need to spend large amounts of time and money to start reaping some of the benefits associated with digital transformation.

An example of how a simple change can lead to significant cost savings can be seen in RS’s work with a food and beverage manufacturer to set up alerts. It became evident that the main bearing on a high-speed canning filler was vibrating abnormally. Upon further inspection, the cause was found to be a blocked lubrication feed. This simple alert, which led to more scrutiny, saved the manufacturer somewhere in the region of £100,000.

BELOW: For 2023, RS Industria will be teaming up with other parts of RS Group in the UK and Ireland to provide a more holistic overview of how it can support organisations

A unified approach for 2023

Last year, RS Industria’s stand at Smart Factory Expo was a spectacle. From the sea of red uniforms, to the massively insightful video case studies and literature (not to mention free coffee), the amount of value on offer was incredible.

RS will be sharing a number of customer case studies, including ones involving Brompton Cycles where they’ve seen a tremendous amount of progress. Brompton spoke on RS’s behalf at Smart Factory Expo 2022; testimony to the great success the pair is realising together.

Measurement means money

As well as hosting a discussion session on advanced analytics at 11.00am on day one of the Manufacturing Digitalisation Summit (part of Smart Factory Expo), Richard will also be delivering a keynote speech. On the first day of the event at 10.25am, visitors can catch Richard’s presentation: 'Why Measurement means Money', to learn about the significant financial impact of using better information in managing factories, and the importance of communicating these high values to:

For 2023, RS Industria will be teaming up with other parts of RS Group in the UK and Ireland to provide a more holistic overview of how RS Group solutions can support organisations with numerous aspects of their digital transformation journeys and beyond.

Richard added: “In terms of the stand itself, we’ll be focusing on the practical application of digital transformation. Start with your number one problem, fix that and take it from there.”

• Gain the support of key stakeholders

• Create a sense of urgency to drive faster decision making

• Sharpen the focus on the rapid removal of barriers to implementation

Digital transformation is often so highly focused on the technology, that it can be easy to forget the core reasons for doing it.

Richard wrapped up our conversation by hinting that RS will likely make a significant announcement about their partnership with AWS. At present, RS is a certified AWS solutions provider for industrial IoT. Smart Factory Expo visitors can learn more about this partnership and find out how it can be beneficial to them.

7-8

If you’re attending Smart Factory Expo 2023, please visit the RS stand (C60) and talk with their experienced solutions engineers to discover how one simple change can begin a digital transformation journey which can deliver continuous improvement and reduce production losses – at a controlled pace and within a highly cost-effective budget.

Register for a free pass at www.mandeweek.co.uk/ manufacturing-expo-home