RAEng - growing capacity and shaping capability in digitalization transformation for regional SMES and supply chains
Digitalization has the potential to transform the UK's manufacturing, service industries and associated infrastructure systems. This project seeks to work with aerospace SME, supply-chains and other organisations in the East Midlands to develop their digitalization capabilities by establishing a highly efficient integrated supply-chain ecosystem that is connected and smart.
The goal is to bring about urgent transformational changes and new approaches that underpin high-value engineering supply chains, helping industry survive and secure a competitive edge. This strategic project aims to significantly add value across the regional SME supply-chain/industry base, by becoming the catalyst for their adoption of key digitalization technologies through cross-sector engagement, and by contributing to solving specific UK societal challenges in terms of contributing to essential future skills development.
Aims
Digitalization has the potential to transform the UK's manufacturing, service industries and associated infrastructure systems. This project seeks to work with aerospace SME, supply-chains and other organisations in the East Midlands to develop their digitalization capabilities by establishing a highly efficient integrated supply-chain ecosystem that is connected and smart. It aims to bring about urgent transformational changes and new approaches underpinning high-value engineering supply-chains needed by industry to survive and secure a competitive edge.
A crucial step is development of an end-to-end digital engineering data/information ecosystem (digital thread) across a product’s entire lifecycle/supply-chain to create enhanced planning platforms and production programs by linking digital data. This will involve new transformative digitalization business models, to provide value-producing opportunities through intelligent integration of advanced systems, capable of communicating/data sharing for optimal workflows to more effectively manage inventory, ship and track movement of parts, including personnel management and manufacturing assets.
Objectives
- Deliver high-profile programme of events, networking, workshops, dissemination and exploitation activities selectively geared to improving the understanding of digitalization within regional SMEs, local enterprise partnerships and others supporting local economic development, including promoting public awareness.
- Demystify, digitalization technologies (such as analytics, artificial intelligence, block chain, digital-twin, machine learning, model-based engineering etc.) and improve understanding, with clarity the data-driven economy that involves digitally connected, large scale data that can be rapidly analysed by technology and innovation.
- Provision of commercial neutral (vendor agnostic) consultation and impartial online resource of case study examples of digitalization strategies and adoption.
Technical approach
The AVRRC have embedded new digitalization concepts into a week-long Master’s Degree programme. This explains how current modelling, simulation and visualization concepts are rapidly evolving as key elements in a systems engineers toolbox. On-line and face-2-face events such as networking meetings are scheduled to cover important topics.
Anticipated impact
The role of modelling and simulation is evolving through the use of digital-twins and new innovative technologies. This project is equipping the next generation of engineers with the knowledge on hoe and where to incorporate digitalisation into the process and products.