Worcester Bosch Factory

Working Groups

Manufacturing

Representing almost 10% of the UK economy and generating over £162bn GVA the UK manufacturing sector is critical to current and future prosperity. Some 7.7m people are employed both directly and in the wider supply chain making it the 3rd largest sector in Europe and the 8th largest worldwide (2017)

5G networks provide unparalleled opportunities for manufacturers to adopt Industry 4.0 through the application of Integrated Digital Technologies to drive transformational improvements across the whole value chain, bringing inclusive growth that benefits business, individuals and society as a whole.

The Made Smarter review identified growth opportunities of 1.5 – 3% per annum and work underway within the Worcestershire 5G testbed is already proving productivity gains of over 2%, with more to come.

The UK5G Manufacturing working group will seek to explore how the unique characteristics of 5G can be exploited to the benefit of high value growth areas in manufacturing (Aerospace, Pharmaceuticals, Food and Drink, Construction) plus other key sub-sectors such as automotive,  along with developing our understanding of  the challenges and  opportunities for SMEs in the supply chain and where vertical collaboration can fast-track digitalisation.

We will use our findings to influence policies that will translate into practical solutions on the ground.

The application process for this Working Group has closed. Participants will be announced shortly.

Working group champions

  • Mark Stansfeld
    Chair
    Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership
    View profile

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