A collection of perspectives exploring the frontiers of manufacturing and technology

whitePaper | April 26, 2022

Perhaps the most visible aspect of Industry 4.0 is the concept of the ‘smart factory’, a term that typically conjures up images of automated factories leveraging AI, big data and robotics to make manufacturing more efficient, innovative and … well, smarter. That’s a simple take on what in reality will be a complex undertaking that will be an evolutionary journey that manufacturers will take over the next decade or so. Consequently, it’s helpful to approach the smart factory concept in terms of what parts of the existing manufacturing process you want to make smarter, and the foundational technologies that will help you achieve that.

whitePaper | March 2, 2020

Discrete manufacturers in Great Britain and around the world have undergone huge transformation in this fourth Industrial Revolution – for a number of reasons. A combination of factors that include economic and market uncertainty, changing customer expectations around technology and a fast-moving green agenda are putting pressure on businesses to hone their supply chains and explore more sustainable and digital business models.

whitePaper | January 1, 2022

In the past five years, there’s been a significant shift in what’s expected from manufacturers: in particular, speed to market and increasing production demand. Many have been seriously affected by COVID-19, and are still looking to keep costs down while delivering a high-quality product. And although Europe’s industrial production had grown year-on-year prior to 2020, facilities are battling against increased customer demand, supply chain delays, and shortages of materials

whitePaper | April 25, 2022

In the late 18th century, the first industrial revolution transformed hand production methods into steam machines. The second industrial revolution which occurred at the end of the 19th century revolutionized communication and transport methods with the telegraph and railway. The third revolution brought computing power to manufacturing processes in the second half of the 20th century.

whitePaper | May 21, 2020

That experience demands a platform supported by increased connectivity and cloud infrastructure. The industry will require immense computing and processing power for all the information that AVs rely on and will continue to rely on in a future with 5G.

whitePaper | July 31, 2022

Additive Manufacturing (AM) developments go back several decades, but stereolithography was the first commercial use of AM in the late 1980s using polymeric materials, and was widely used initially in the automotive industry sector. The aerospace industry adopted AM in the mid-1990s using polymer AM parts for non-structural production applications, and there are now a multitude of AM parts on commercial aircraft such as air ducts, brackets, and clips.