ISCF Manufacturing Made Smarter: innovating digital approaches to integrate and optimise manufacturing supply chains

The aim of the Manufacturing Made Smarter Challenge, as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge, is to help the UK manufacturing industry to become more productive and competitive through innovation and adoption of digital and immersive technologies.

Through the current competition UK businesses can apply for a share of funding for feasibility studies and/or proof of concept projects to research and develop innovative digital solutions to enable integration and optimisation of manufacturing supply chains to achieve these goals.

The use of digital technologies can enable companies to rethink and restructure the way they design and operate their supply chains and improve how they operate within end to end supply chains. Rapidly changing customer requirements and supply availability is driving the need for supply chains to adapt, become more effective, flexible, resilient and sustainable.

Competition Details

The two competition strands are now open and will close on 7 October 2020. You can access the competition details using these links;

Feasibility studies
Industrial research

Example Project

Scenario: A manufacturer needs to articulate their issues or problems that a digital solution within the supply chain could resolve.  Some of the areas to consider:

• How could your supply chain compete better with rival supply chain?
• What problems do you have with suppliers? With customers?
• What supply chain coordination activities soak up the most time?
• What decisions could you make more confidently if you just knew… ?
• How would you rate trust in your value chain? Could it be enhanced?  

Competition consortia partners

Your consortia could include…

• A digital technology innovator
• At least one manufacturer (This could be an existing customer of the digital technology innovator/solution provider).
  • AND at least one other firm in their supply chain
• RTO involved to transfer knowledge
• Credible project management if it’s complex?

We would encourage SMEs to get involved in this project.

If you think you have capabilities that will be of interest to consortia partners taking part in the Made Smarter competition, sign up for our collaboration tool here

Competition Briefing Details

A recording of the competition briefing webinar with details around competition criteria, eligibility and application process can be found here.

Workshops

We ran a series of workshops looking at opportunities and challenge in a number of key sectors.  Copies of the recordings, slides and key takeaways from the workshops are captured below:

Pharmaceutical industry

This workshop looked at supply chain challenges and opportunities for supply chain design, integration and optimisation within the pharmaceutical sector. View a recording of the event here and view the slides here.

Find out about the opportunities for digital technology supply chains to transform the pharmaceutical industry as discussed at the event here.

Food and Drink industry

This workshop looked at supply chain challenges and opportunities for supply chain design, integration and optimisation across a range of sectors. within the food and drink sector. View a recording of the event here and view the slides here.

Find out about the opportunities for digital technology supply chains to transform the food and drink industry here.

Aerospace & Automotive industry

This workshop looked at supply chain challenges and opportunities for supply chain design, integration and optimisation across the Aerospace and Automotive industries. View a recording of the event here and view the slides here.

Find out about the opportunities for digital technology supply chains to transform the aerospace and automotive industry here.

General industries 

This workshop looked at supply chain challenges and opportunities for supply chain design, integration and optimisation across a range of sectors. View a recording of the event here and view the slides here.

Find out about the opportunities for digital technology supply chains within manufacturing across a range of industries as discussed at the event here.

This is an exciting opportunity to create new digital and immersive approaches to integrate and optimise supply chains across manufacturing in a range of industries.