A new joint initiative led by Edge Hill University has officially been launched to support the adoption of productivity-boosting digital technologies in SME manufactures across the north west. Manufacturing Connect (MC) initiative brings together experts from Edge Hill University, Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NW), and Manchester Metropolitan University.
BEIS and Innovate UK have recognised this issue and are supporting regional initiatives like MC to trial and test methods which will seek to overcome the common barriers to this adoption: lack of knowledge, lack of information, productivity literacy, and unclear impacts and benefits.
The MC initiative seeks to actively support over 100 SMEs up to February 2021, by running cycles of a digital facilitated Adoption Sprint Process and will focus on 3 digital technology types for SMEs to adopt: Customer Relationship Management, Production Planning, and Resource Planning.
Professor Simon Bolton from the Productivity & Innovation Centre at Edge Hill University said: “Adopting a new technology is a major investment for manufacturing SMEs. It is an important part of their decision-making process that they are fully informed and supplied with real accounts of the impact and benefits of the technologies from vendors, other SMEs and those with significant expertise in the digital technology adoption process. The combination of knowledge, advice and experience from a range of industry experts and peers will add real value and depth to SMEs overcoming barriers through to adopting the technology that is right for their business.”
If you are a Lancashire based SME manufacturer and would like to find out more about the project visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/MC