ON THE TOPIC OF | DIGITAL AMBASSADORS
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It’s all very well there being powerful digital tools available, but people have
to know how to use them. Autodesk’s Digital Catalyst programme aims to
confront that issue. Andrew Allcock explains.
Autodesk’s digital catalyst
programme started about
four years ago, off the back
off the company asking
what it could do to make a difference
to UK GDP, explains Asif Moghal,
senior industry marketing manager,
design and manufacturing.
In visiting companies and asking
them what their challenges were, he
says: “The same thing kept coming
back: they were too busy to go and
explore what’s possible; what they
thought was impossible was very
easy to do; and they lacked an up to
date digital design and manufacturing
strategy. They all wanted to do
something; they all recognised
that the fourth industrial revolution
Industry 4.0 was coming, but most of
the things that they were being offered
were going over their head. They
just wanted to get something done,
they knew what they wanted to do,
but didn’t know if it was possible and
needed help to get to move forward.”
So, the Digital Catalysts
programme that makes use of Digital
Ambassadors – students that spend
time with companies giving their time
and knowledge – was the result.
Moghal says: “What we found
was that students have a mindset
that sees them apply design thinking
to traditional problems that allows
them to shake up the status quo in
a positive way, showing companies
what’s possible, hopefully creating
an upward spiral. It is not just focused
on productivity – stripping cost and
risk out of a business, but should be
adding value, creating opportunity
and innovation.”
Digital Ambassadors can spend
up to, typically, 80 hours with a
company, which can be spread out
over a few weeks. The range of work
tackled is broad but must involve
“digital transformation”, with it having
an impact on the way a company
designs or makes, underlines
Moghal. He says that one of the
strengths of Digital Ambassadors
are that they are generalists. “They
know how to go and nd information,
research it, understand it and then
apply it, without formally having
been trained in it. For that reason,
the Digital Catalyst programme is
quite broad.”
Above right: Asif
Moghal is a senior
industry marketing
manager, design and
manufacturing, at
Autodesk.
SEPTEMBER 2019 | WWW.EUREKAMAGAZINE.CO.UK 19
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