November 2020

News 0 6 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk November 2020 British manufacturing companies moved at speed towards digitalisation when the pandemic struck, with nearly half switching to digital working practices within two weeks of lockdown, according to new research, ‘Digital Skills for a Digital Manufacturing Future’, published recently by Make UK, the manufacturers’ organisation and Sage. With just a fortnight’s digital installation and planning, 94% of companies said they had staff working successfully from home in industries often associated with manual tasks and a high proportion of production-based work. Some 91% of those manufacturers benefitted from adopting new digital technologies during the crisis. And eight out of ten companies said they would continue to adopt new working practices having seen the quick benefits. A quarter of companies polled found utilising new digital technologies had boosted productivity and 12% said it had increased production levels. Some 87% of manufacturers said investing in digital training gave them a competitive advantage, and nearly two-thirds (64%) had undertaken training to improve digital skills in the last 12 months. Interestingly, it was the very smallest and largest companies which were more likely to have taken on such training - 83% of companies with up to 9 employees and 94% employing more than 1000 staff. In the past few months, it is those new skills which enabled the quick adoption of digital to deliver the remote production and monitoring systems which kept vital lines working effectively and the use of 3D avatars for sustainable sampling and virtual commissioning. The use of digital was also found to accelerate innovation plans. While digital skills were paramount in keeping Britain’s manufacturers open for business and enabling the switch in production to vital PPE equipment and ventilators for the NHS, Make UK says that this acceleration must continue at pace to promote continued growth as the sector rebuilds. The manufacturers’ organisation said that it is good news that 45% of companies said they had already changed their skills training and strategies in the light of COVID 19. But cost pressures and the need to socially distance has meant that two thirds of companies have put some or all of their training on hold. Worryingly, two-thirds of manufacturers do not think the education and training system is keeping pace with digital technology advancements – indicating a serious lag between the UK’s ambitions to be a world leader in digital adoption and our skills and training system delivering what is needed. Stephen Phipson, CEO of Make UK, the manufacturers organisation said: “The last six months have shown that digital has been crucial in making it possible for manufacturers to continue production successfully against a backdrop of COVID - highlighting the need to ramp up digital skills within the manufacturing sector even further as companies move to build future resilience and boost productivity. “Most companies put some of their workers on furlough but sadly the subsequent fall in demand has meant that some highly skilled people have gone on to lose their jobs. As the sector is fights to get its order books back to something like normal, it is crucially important that we do everything possible to keep hold of these skilled people who are currently unemployed. This is why government must work with industry to set up a National Skills Taskforce to match those skilled workers with employers who so desperately need those skills alongside developing a lifelong learning programme to constantly upskill existing employees. “Manufacturers should also look to harness the power of young people who are digitally fluent to fully embrace digitalisation throughout UK manufacturing”. Investment in digital skills powering UK manufacturing through COVID crisis Vodafone partners with Primary Engineer to bring data into the classroom Vodafone has become a national funding partner for the Primary Engineer STATWARS Competition, it was recently announced. The competition consists of two free-to- school projects, STATWARS Climate Change Challenge and STATWARS Film & TV, both designed to inspire and educate young people about the power of data in decision making, the role it will play in their future careers, and the need for future professionals with data skills. As an educational project, it focuses on using data to deliver meaningful and engaging mathematics, data handling and data visualising skills to pupils in primary and secondary schools across the UK. Johan Wibergh, Vodafone Group’s chief technology officer, explained: “Demand for digital skills outstrips the supply of available talent. We need to engage with students about how timely, anonymised data can address issues that matter to them, whether they’re using it to predict floods or creating safe corridors for endangered animals. “Also, many young people may not have access to the skills needed to prepare them for the digital economy. In partnership with Primary Engineer, we can help empower young people by providing the digital skills they need to thrive. We aim to establish similar partnerships with organisations in other countries in which we operate.” Both the STATWARS Climate Change

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