Flexible production: helping UK manufacturers adapt to a changing market

02Jan

Manufacturers in the UK face an increasingly dynamic consumer market combined with shorter product life cycles. To ensure that brands can keep up with the changing trends, manufacturers need to implement new flexible and agile production methods.

Incorporating the latest IoT technology along with automation and robotics will ensure that flexible manufacturing is also commercially viable. To meet changes in demand, production processes can be divided into individual cells that can be easily rearranged and connected with collaborative and mobile robots. This is a step towards the flexible factory of the future that will help safeguard a competitive manufacturing industry in the UK.

Keeping up with changing consumer demands

According to a survey carried out by YouGov for Make UK, 70% of people agree that the UK cannot tackle future problems without a strong manufacturing sector. Manufacturing is seen as important to securing our place in the global economy, as well as creating employment opportunities for future generations. What is the impact of changing consumer trends to the manufacturing industry, and how can this important sector maintain its strength?

Mass production is a stable part of our industrial landscape. It lends itself to higher efficiency, higher productivity and consistency. However, where manufacturers benefit from these elements, they lose out in manufacturing agility. UK manufacturers need more flexible and agile production methods to ensure brands can respond rapidly to changing consumer needs.

Read the full article in the January 2020 issue of PBSI