Lasers, poetry, business figures, politicians and leading researchers will all feature in an inaugural Global Supply Chain Debate entitled ‘Putting the UK at the Heart of Global Supply Chains’ created and hosted by WMG, at the University of Warwick, on 10-11 November 2015.

The two day conference and debate will bring together senior professionals from a range of backgrounds to discuss and debate perspectives, and the role that the UK can play. The two-day conference will be a mixture of workshops, and scene setting covering topics including: ‘The Role of the Supply Chain in Enabling Next Generation Innovation’, ‘Insights from the Wright Review of UK Manufacturing Supply Chains’, and ‘The Strategic Importance of Supply Chains to Boeing.’

Professor Jan Godsell, of WMG at the University of Warwick, has been appointed to advise the UK government on manufacturing policy as a member of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skill’s (BIS) Manufacturing Advisory Group (MAG).

Commenting on the appointment Professor Godsell said:

I am delighted to join the Manufacturing Advisory Group . It is great to see that BIS recognise the importance of taking a broader supply chain perspective when considering the role of manufacturing as part of the global economy. We really need to ensure that the UK is at the heart of the network of global supply chains.”

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya said:

This is wonderful news for Professor Godsell who is one of the leading experts in supply chains. WMG has been advising companies and policy makers on manufacturing for many years and this appointment shows that we continue to be a leader in this area.”

The MAG meets throughout the year and comprises members of trade and employment organisations, including the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Union Congress, as well as manufacturers, including Siemens, Mondelez and GKN.

Neil Carmichael MP has joined forces with Gloucestershire suppliers to launch a national research study at the Frocester George Inn which is playing a key role in the study.

The study led by researchers from WMG at the University of Warwick is examining the importance of supply chains. The research team chose the local Inn as a core part of the study because it uses so many local suppliers and is a perfect example of the chain reaction in the supply chain that occurs within the local economy when a new business flourishes.

In addition to serving local beers, the Frocester Inn sources many local ingredients for its menu, including local Cheese, meat products from Frocester Fayre and fruit and vegetables from Bramleys Cirencester. But their recent refurbishment has also benefited many other local businesses including phone contractors and builders, a local window cleaner and linen company.

Poor inventory management can increase costs and damage cash flows according to Geoff Relph and Catherine Milner, associate lecturers at WMG, and co-authors of a new book entitled Inventory Management.

Readers are taken through a step-by-step journey, enabling managers to take control of their inventory systems and ensure operations run smoothly; it examines how it should work and how to control and balance it, as well as focusing on KPIs that have been proven to significantly improve performance.

In addition the book features interesting case studies to illustrate best practice, looking at inventory management in diverse areas such as supermarkets and aerospace.

Inventory Management, published by Kogan Page, is available now from www.koganpage.com/inventory-management

Supermarket price war 'hitting food supply firms’: It doesn’t need to be like that

 There is an unfortunate inevitability that the difficulties faced by the supermarkets resulting in the increased intensity of the price war are being passed onto their suppliers. However, if the boards of the supermarkets were to truly understand the principles of good supply chain management they would realize that there was another, and better way. In the words of the 1980s band Erasure, It doesn’t need to be like that.

WMG, at the University of Warwick, is spearheading a national research study to highlight the crucial role supply chains play within the British economy.

As pressure mounts for the UK to hit its already downgraded 2015 GDP growth forecasts, the importance of maximising Britain’s industrial output has once again come into focus, with supply chains forming a fundamental part of this process.

The online study, which is being led by WMG Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Strategy, Janet Godsell, launches today, Tuesday 7^th July 2015, at www.mychainreaction.co.uk and has been designed to uncover our knowledge and understanding of what a supply chain is, and how we as individuals are an integral part of supply chains up and down the country.

WMG, at the University of Warwick and M-Aerotech have signed a memorandum of understanding in the area of supply chain industrialisation.

The collaboration will cover both research and education. The focus will be specifically on developing research opportunities, academic support programmes and training work placements. It will allow for both to work on new technologies to benefit the aerospace industry.

The MoU was signed at the Langkawi International Maritime and Air Defence Show.

The 2nd annual WMG Doctoral Research and Innovation Conference, entitled ‘Innovation through Collaboration’, is an excellent opportunity to showcase research from both academia and industry across themes in design, materials, manufacturing, systems and business transformation.

Organised by doctoral students, the conference will be held in the International Digital Laboratory on 30th June - 1st July, with an evening social event on the 30th.

Papers and poster presentations will take place across a wide variety of topics and awards will be presented in each theme.

Abstracts should be submitted online by 31st March.

Professor Jan Godsell, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Strategy at WMG, has contributed to a term paper produced by the All-Party Parliamentary Manufacturing Group (APMG). The paper has been launched today at an APMG event, led by the APMG’s Co-Chair, Chris White MP.

The APMG’s latest term paper, ‘New World Supply Chains: Britain at the Heart of Global Manufacturing’, seeks to address certain issues experienced by manufacturers and investigates the UK’s efforts to reshore manufacturing. The APMG has identified growing evidence that production is increasingly being ‘reshored’ back to the UK and, as the government attempts to encourage this positive trend through ‘Reshore UK’ and other mechanisms, the importance of well-functioning supply chains is becoming ever-more apparent.

Professor Godsell attended the paper’s launch today to contribution to the discussion on the topic. Her contribution to the term paper focused on ‘Putting the UK back at the heart of the Global Supply Chain Network’.

WMG centre HVM Catapult is pleased to announce that a consortium led by London-based fuel cell company, Arcola Energy, has been awarded £1m R&D funding from the recent TSB call on Fuel Cell Manufacturing. Arcola Energy, the lead partner on the bid, is working within the UK to build up a strong fuel cell supply chain and manufacturing base. They are focussed on portable and small scale automotive applications. Other partners in the consortium are Imperial College and Lohmann Tapes.

Professor Robert Harrison’s team at WMG will focus on the application of manufacturing process modelling to fuel cells. The work will leverage WMG’s extensive in-house battery manufacturing and automation systems knowledge. It is anticipated that current fuel cell lifetime limitations and high unit costs that result from immature manufacturing processes will be addressed through this research by the application of automated processes and improved quality control.

The project will also work on developing a UK supply chain to support UK manufacturing of fuel cells. Professor Jan Godsell’s team at WMG will be involved in this activity.

Interest in fuel cell technology is increasing steadily from sectors such as automotive and stationary power. It is expected that growing demand will drive up production volumes by two orders of magnitude over the next five years, further reducing costs.