VOX POPS EXPERT VIEWS
Yann Rageul
Head of manufacturing EMEA & Asia
Stratasys
The challenges that we faced
during the extremes of the
global pandemic have
shown just how quickly
supply chains can be
brought to a halt when
back-up processes are not
in place to support them.
The continued uncertainty
surrounding COVID-19 has seen
manufacturers and those within
the wider supply chain seek solutions
that bring speed and agility to their production
operations.
This saw additive manufacturing (AM) rise
to the fore in 2020, providing an immediate
production capability for things like vital PPE
and ventilator parts when the lead times of
traditional manufacturing were unviable. The
fundamental agility of the technology allowed,
for example, major automotive manufacturers
to facilitate an immediate switch in
manufacturing and enable fast on-demand
production of critical equipment as supply
chains were hit.
As a result, the COVID-19 crisis highlighted
just how e ective AM can be as a production
method to increase supply chain resiliency and
manufacturing e ciencies – whether during
a major global pandemic or not. Many believe
AM is having its watershed moment, helping
manufacturers to reduce their dependency on
“The COVID-19 crisis highlighted
just how effective additive
manufacturing can be”
suppliers and ensure production operations
are una ected by disruption. Be it spare parts
or critical assembly-line tooling, manufacturers
are now realising they can achieve just-in-time
production without reliance on the supply
chain – 3D printing exactly what they need,
when they need it, where they need it and in
the exact quantities needed.
As we turn the corner into 2021, many such
companies – especially larger manufacturers
– will also be looking to drive more digitalised
factory fl oors, paving the way for increased
deployment of technologies like AM, as well as
other Industry 4.0 related technologies like AI
and robotics.
Karen Boswell OBE
Managing director
Baxi Heating UK & Ireland
If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us
anything, it is that we have to be agile, we
need to concentrate on the health and
wellbeing of our people, and I sense
that people are having much more of a
‘country fi rst’ attitude just now. It has put
the importance of UK manufacturing fi rmly
back on the map.
Now is the time to concentrate on raising
the profi le of UK manufacturing. The last year
has shown us that we need to manage our
supply chains and grow our UK capabilities, as
seen by the need for ‘home-grown’ PPE and
vaccines.
We have learned to be agile. Overnight, we
completely overhauled our manufacturing
processes ensuring that our factories
were safe and COVID-secure.
More than ever before, we had
to ensure the wellbeing of our
colleagues, look after those
who were vulnerable, fi nd
new and di erent ways of
keeping in touch and make
sure they weren’t feeling
isolated or uninformed. All
this while working harder
than ever to manufacture vital
heating and hot water products. In
fact, at Baxi Heating, we have worked
continuously all year.
These working conditions will be with us
for the foreseeable future, and I welcome
the renewed focus on health and hygiene,
wellbeing and support for the people we
work with. If manufacturing is to prepare for
a sustainable future, we need to make sure
our facilities and processes are the safest
and best they can be and showcase our UK
manufacturing capabilities.
“Now is the time to concentrate
on raising the profi le of UK
manufacturing”
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