The National Digital Supply Chain Testbed competition challenged UK suppliers and manufacturers to develop digital twins of their supply chains to test new solutions.
The UK has seen considerable supply chain disruption of late. Between 20 and 31 October 2021 around 17% of adults in Great Britain said they had experienced shortages of essential food items and during the that same month over a third (37%) had been unable to refuel their vehicle.
“The challenges that are facing UK manufacturing are well known, the pandemic and the threats of climate crisis all adding to their woes,” said Tim Lawrence, director of the Digital Supply Chain Hub.
“Digital technologies are available to address these pressures but adoption in industry has proved to be difficult because there is not an environment where their value can be tested without impacting the actual supply chain.
“These national testbeds create a digital environment where technologies can be developed and trialled.”
The testbeds will be established with NBT Group, Hydrologiq, Circle 8 Textile Ecosystems and Contained Technologies. Each company will work with their suppliers to measure supply chain emissions, optimise inventory management, and automate supply chain mapping.
The projects are co-funded by Digital Catapult and the participating organisations, with each testbed receiving up to £1.5million in co-investment.
