Wednesday 31 May 2017

Quarter of manufacturing companies plan to appoint subcontractors in next 12 months

Subcon, the UK’s only dedicated event for subcontract manufacturing returns to the NEC, Birmingham, next week with the manufacturing sector on a high and looking for new suppliers.
The latest research by Subcon shows that 23% of companies plan to appoint new subcontractors in the next 12 months. And with 400 exhibitors from all sectors and across all technologies, Subcon 2017 will provide visitors with the ideal opportunity to get face to face with potential suppliers.
With companies having to keep a clear strategic focus on their core competencies, the trend towards outsourcing some or all manufacturing processes is accelerating.
According to the survey, the key reasons for subcontracting manufacturing processes rather than carrying them out in-house were: only wanting to focus on core competencies (47%), not having enough capacity in-house (45%) and gaining access to processes (41%) and expertise (38%) they don’t have themselves.
According to the survey results, 15% of manufacturers have increased the amount of work they place with subcontractors in the past 12 months and 20% expect to increase it further in the coming year.
This is good news for UK manufacturing as 10% of companies asked had re-shored work to the UK in the past 12 months and 27% expected the proportion of work placed with UK suppliers to increase in the next three years. The key factors here were quality (71%), logistical considerations (59%), response time (46%) and cost (46%).

Subcon 2017 runs from 6 to 8 June alongside The Advanced Manufacturing Show and The Engineer Design & Innovation Show. Together the three shows cover the complete manufacturing cycle from concept to component, bringing together design engineering, product development, in-house production and outsourced supply chains.
Subcon is the UK’s only event dedicated to outsourced manufacturing. It serves all sectors and all processes – from machining, sheet metalworking, casting and forging, to plastic moulding, composites and electronics.

The Advanced Manufacturing Show covers every aspect of production technology. including machine tools, workholding and accessories, software, additive manufacturing and metrology. Exhibitors including XYZ Machine Tools, Hurco, Renishaw, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, Autodesk, Faro and 1st MTA.

The third piece in the jigsaw is The Engineer Design and Innovation Show. This offers everything a design engineer needs to create innovative new products – from CAD and simulation software to prototyping and components. Exhibitors include Bowman Additive Manufacturing, Laser Lines, Johnson Matthey, Ricoh Imaging and Schunk Intec.
Complementing the shows, two free-to-attend conference streams will address key industry issues including additive manufacturing, Industry 4.0, the Apprenticeship Levy and lightweight components.
Subcon event director Gordon Kirk said: “To succeed in volatile and keenly competitive markets, manufacturers are increasingly focusing on what they do best. This means working with subcontract manufacturing partners who are experts at what they do, have access to the latest technology and possess unique know-how. Subcon is the ideal opportunity for them to find the right suppliers for their outsourcing requirement.
“At the same time, the Advanced Manufacturing Show and The Engineer Design and Innovation Show give them access to the design and production tools that are vital to their core operations. Together, the three shows are an unmissable proposition for UK manufacturers.”



Tuesday 30 May 2017

Meet the speakers: In conversation with... Alan Pendry and Dr Junfeng Yang at Birmingham City University

In conversation with… Alan Pendry, Associate Professor of Advanced Systems Engineering, and Dr Junfeng Yang, Lecturer in Automotive Engineering, Birmingham City University.

Alan Pendry and Dr Junfeng Yang will be discussing how to ‘tap into new potential for lightweight components via STEAM innovation’ at Subcon on 8 June at 10:45.

Please sum up your conference session in one sentence:
Birmingham City University has teamed up with Meridian Lightweight Technologies UK to research and develop processes and systems for the production and use of magnesium alloys: we present here an overview of our 15 research threads and invite others to join our Magnesium Innovation Group.



"The environment - greenhouse gas reduction and climate change mitigation - is the biggest challenge facing the industry this year."

What practical tips will visitors pick up from your presentation?  
How magnesium can replace heavier and more carbon-intensive materials for automotive and aerospace applications. How smaller-scale designers and manufacturers can find cost-effective magnesium solutions. How Birmingham City University can help your business develop and grow.

What's the biggest opportunity facing the industry?
Building a design-driven culture to create and safeguard design and manufacturing jobs throughout the UK.

Is leaving the EU good or bad for UK manufacturing?  
Very bad in the short-to-medium term: difficult to evaluate in the long term.

Do you think the industry will suffer if leaving the EU restricts free movement of labour?
Very much in the short term: difficult to evaluate in the medium term.

Do you think the Apprentice Levy is a good thing?
Apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships are an excellent opportunity for UK companies to grow the essential skills needed by our growing manufacturing industry and to take us into the 4th Industrial Revolution.

If you were in Government, what would you do to encourage more women and young people to work in the engineering and manufacturing industries?
Get rid of “career politicians” and replace the cabinet with engineers: 50% male and 50% female; educate school teachers as to what engineering and manufacturing in the 21st century is; promote positive action without the perceived fear of discrimination in the appointment of women to engineering posts: Include flexible working and career progression following absence (e.g. following childbirth).

What are your thoughts on Industry 4.0?
It is a plethora of exciting opportunities and is coming, whether we want it or not: don’t let us lose out through complacency like we did with our motorcycle and steel industries!

What are you most looking forward to about Subcon 2017?
Meeting creative, forward-looking individuals who can join us on this exciting journey.


Don’t miss Alan Pendry and Dr Junfeng Yang at Subcon – they will be discussing how to ‘tap into new potential for lightweight components via STEAM innovation’ on 8 June at 10:45. You can register for a free pass at www.subconshow.co.uk

Thursday 25 May 2017

GUEST BLOG: Establishing a base camp for your digital journey through predictive modelling


Leading firms in automotive and manufacturing have deployed predictive simulation models to ask and answer major business process change and new technology investment questions for decades. Unlike many other predictive analytics technologies, predictive simulation has been deployed at scale for many years by these firms and has been embedded as business as usual by many for major capital expenditure decisions. Many less structured firms have avoided using such technologies, preferring to rely on experience and intuition; however, time is fast running out for gut-feel management as operations become more complex, connected and agile. 

The implementation of Industry 4.0 naturally generates similar opportunities, risks and business questions to the implementation of new technologies in the past. It’s therefore reassuring to know that well-proven software technology is available that can provide a highly visual predictive model of your business and gage the impact of different implementation options. By capturing your business logic, rules, assets and processes within a digital model, businesses can access a visually rich and statistically accurate method for testing their investment options and future changes across their organisation.

These models are able to simplify complex operational behaviours. The future-state data they provide is ideal for empowering clearer planning decisions, building comprehensive cost justifications and managing many of the risks associated with change. For these reasons alone predictive simulation offers an ideal starting point when considering investments in digital transformation through the application of Industry 4.0 technologies.

For many, a real value-add from a predictive simulation model is its ability to understand the complex dynamics of the current-state business before moving towards full digitisation.  Capturing processes and data in a visual, dynamic model secures the cross-functional engagement needed to establish effective strategic alternative investment options.  As investments in new Industry 4.0 technologies are made, the data driving such models can be refined via operational data sources such as those provided by modern equipment and real-time data sensors. As the level of digitisation progresses the model can hook into increasingly accurate and timely data flows providing both enhanced predictions based on business plans but also a real-time ‘digital twin’ representation of current operations and schedules.

A predictive digital twin is capable of showing the current state of the business across different media, offering management a view of the business that surpasses traditional reports. Options include 3D visualisation, augmented and virtual reality and dashboards that not only show key performance indicators, but allow individual points of interest to be examined in detail, drilling down into deep business data. Such dashboards can use predictive data to alert when and where potential future problems may occur. Using the right Industry 4.0 technologies, they can even provide the controls necessary to invoke remedial action. This form of dashboard will increasingly become the digital control panel or ‘predictive management cockpit’ for tomorrow’s operations managers.


Hayward Tyler, a designer and manufacturer of mission critical pumps and motors, used this technology to create a digital twin of their manufacturing facility. This award winning approach demonstrated how the factory would operate before it was even constructed and validated the development of a new carrier transportation, designed specifically to improve throughput throughout the facility. The predictive simulation technology is currently being developed to improve production scheduling capability to keep customers informed of when they can expect to receive their orders.

This post has been written by Andrew Aitken, COO, Lanner who are exhibiting at Subcon 6-8 June at the NEC. Register now for a free visitor pass at www.subconshow.co.uk