Supply chains made smarter, together – the digital supply chain hub launch

Supply chains have a significant influence on every industry, from pharmaceuticals through to manufacturing. We know supply chains account for:

• Over 80% of industrial companies C02 emissions
• 50-70% of manufacturing businesses costs
• 5 to 1 ratio of employment

As we move towards the fourth industrial revolution all supply chains are under immense pressures to become more resilient, efficient and fundamentally sustainable.

The key to ensuring UKs supply chains become smarter is explicitly connected to advanced digital technologies.

Made Smarter Innovation | Digital Supply Chain Hub and programme partners aim to accelerate the commerical adaptation of advanced and emerging digital tech across UK manufacturing supply chains by optimising the physical, informational and financial flows across all tiers of supply chains.

In doing this, we will deliver a globally competitive, digitally enabled, diverse virtual hub ecosystem that can address today’s and future supply chains challenges.

Advanced digital technologies are coming of age at just the right time. These technologies offer businesses, industry, academia and wider community levels of unprecedented collaboration and innovation that can positively tackle current and future critical challenges facing UK supply chains.

This event will demonstrate how advanced digital technology can strategically empower the UK supply chains to be more efficient, resilient and sustainable.

Additionally, it will act as an opportunity for attendees to:

• Explore funding and investment opportunities worth £4 million
• Learn more about the Made Smarter Innovation Digital Supply Chain Hub purpose, vision and mission
• Gain insights and engage with supply chain subject experts and advanced digital tech pioneers
• Discover exclusive Hub sponsored projects, testbeds, and living labs working on solutions to make supply chains smarter through the adaptation of advanced digital technologies
• Collaborate and share insights with wider programme partners and Digital Catapult representatives

This in-person event will bring together a diverse range of UK based supply chain influencers, made up of:

• Tech businesses (Startups, scaleups, SMEs, large organisations)
• Cross-sector senior manufacturing leaders (FMCG, pharma, automotive, aerospace, energy and utilities)
• Supply chain leads, directors, and managers
• Venture capitalists, angel investors, impact investors

4.30 pm – Arrival and registrations

5.00 pm – Welcome and introduction

Geraldina Iraheta, CCO – Digital Catapult

5.10 pm – Keynote: How do we optimise for sustainability and resilience across supply chains?

Caroline Gorski, CEO R² Factory – Rolls Royce

5.20 pm – Made Smarter Innovation | Digital Supply Chain Hub presentation

Chris Courtney, Challenge Director – Made Smarter Innovation
Tim Lawrence, Digital Supply Chain Director – Digital Catapult

5.30 pm – Panel discussion: Accelerating Innovation and adoption of Digital Supply chains

Chaired by Ben Ramsden, Partnership Manager Digital Supply Chains – Digital Catapult

• Veera Johnson, Co-Founder – Circulor
• Prof. Ying Xie, Director of Centre for Intelligent Supply Chain – Anglia Ruskin University
• Mark Enzer OBE FREng, Strategic Advisor – Mott MacDonald
• Tom Hollands, Innovation and Technical Director – Raynor Foods

5.55 pm – Next steps and close

Tim Lawrence, Digital Supply Chain Director – Digital Catapult

6.00 pm – Networking and drinks

7.30 pm – End

Convening key stakeholders from across the supply chain landscape, Made Smarter Innovation | Digital Supply Chain Hub is developing and empowering a globally competitive, digital innovation ecosystem, working together to address and prepare for the critical supply chain challenges facing UK manufacturing.

Made Smarter Innovation | Digital Supply Chain Hub is a collaboration between Digital Catapult, Made Smarter Innovation, TWI, National Physical Laboratory, High Value Manufacturing Catapult, and a host of industry leaders accelerating the digital future of UK manufacturing and supply chains. The Hub is delivered by Digital Catapult, funded by the Made Smarter Innovation challenge at UK Research and Innovation.