World-renowned designer Sebastian Conran will be the guest speaker at a seminar on designing and manufacturing the future, part of the series of Design@WMG events hosted by WMG’s Experiential Engineering Group and WMG centre HVM Catapult.

Taking place on Wednesday 10th May in the International Manufacturing Centre, the talk entitled 'Form Follows Fabrication' will give attendees an insight into creating aspirational, innovative and successful user experiences, as Sebastian shares his experiences from 40 years in the design industry.

A profile of Florence Hopper, the Young Women’s Trust ‘Exceptional Apprentice’ 2017 award winner (sponsored by WMG).

1. What advice would you offer to other young women starting out in their careers?

Network. Talk to, and get to know, as many people in the organisation as you can. It always helps to have friendly faces around the office, that way when you have a query you know people who can point you in the right direction. Take every opportunity that arises to grow your network, get involved in projects, or help with the company’s charity team.

Be proactive. Don’t wait for someone to tell you what to do. Instead ask them to show you how to do something, or ask if there’s anything you can help with. Often people are busy and perhaps don’t realise you have the time or capacity to help. By getting involved you learn more about the business and increase your knowledge, as well as demonstrating that you are willing to help.

Be persistent. Success can rarely be achieved without a great deal of hard work, and if it feels like you’re struggling it doesn’t mean that you are failing. Every set back is an opportunity to learn. It’s important to stay positive and keep working hard, even if it’s tough. The hard work will pay off.

And finally, be the best version of yourself that you can. Make the most of every opportunity that comes your way – you never know where it could take you.

 Our Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Strategy, Jan Godsell will be presenting ‘Reconciliation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution,’ next Tuesday (28 February) at Coventry Cathedral.

The first two Industrial Revolutions saw significant expansion and development for Coventry. But its success also made it vulnerable. It’s expertise in the automotive industry and in manufacturing made it a bombing target in World War II.

What’s more a reliance on these heavy industries further exposed the city to decline as the UK’s manufacturing sector was largely decimated with the Third Industrial Revolution during the latter part of the 20^th century. This has left the area with a range of employment challenges and industrial relations issues between large and small companies.

Local budding engineers will be working alongside academics from WMG, at the University of Warwick, to get a taste of what a career in engineering is really like by building and racing their own electric vehicles.

The Greenpower Education Trust looks to address the skills gap that is growing in the UK automotive industry by engaging students in engineering at a young age. Pupils aged 9 to 11 will be given their own electric kit cars to design, build and race - guided by their teachers and supporting mentors from WMG and engineering students from Warwick. Pupils will then compete with their car in a regional Greenpower IET Formula Goblin race, scheduled to take place towards the end of the school year in 2017.

WMG Honorary Fellow, Professor Colin Williams, will be delivering a series of special weekly lectures exploring The Human Story of Cybernetics.

The nine-week course at WMG’s Cyber Security Centre, commences on Thursday 13^th October with ‘When Minds Explode,’ focusing on the intellectual history of the initialisation and early development of Cybernetics. Other lectures include ‘Meat the Machine’ and ‘Cauldrons of Fire and Crucibles of Ice.’

 The WMG SME Team is offering FREE Lean Six Sigma Assessments to assist SME manufacturing businesses seeking to improve their processes, for better efficiency and productivity gains.

Onur Eren, Technology Transfer Engineer and qualified Lean Six Sigma practitioner, at WMG, is leading the project which will help businesses evaluate their current operations and receive ideas on how they can transform current processes for the better.

The first stages of the project usually involve collecting data and gaining a better understanding of specific business issues, prior to applying a range of technologies and methodologies to develop and implement the necessary solutions.

Projects are being allocated on a first come-first served basis, email wmgsme@warwick.ac.uk to register your interest in receiving a free Six Sigma assessment.

Have you ever stopped to consider how competitive your supply chain really is? Our expert, Jan Godsell, Professor of Supply Chain Operations and Strategy, has been working with industry to develop leading practice in customer responsive or demand driven supply chains for more than 15 years.

Professor Godsell and her team at WMG are currently undertaking a study to understand the current level of adoption of supply chain segmentation within Europe.

Professor Godsell explains: “Segmentation or differentiation of the supply chain has been identified as critical, and most companies are sitting on key supply chain data that could give them that crucial competitive edge if they made use of it.”

WMG, University of Warwick has launched a free online MOOC course exploring exactly 'how things get to you' through the invisible world of supply chains.

Jan Godsell, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Strategy at WMG explains: “Rarely a day goes by when supply chains aren’t featured in our news in some shape or form, so it seemed only natural that they should be the focus of our course.

“Our course will give people the opportunity to explore the complex web of supply chains, enabling them to understand where they fit in. Our ultimate aim is that by improving understanding they will go on to do ‘one thing differently,’ whether that be for example buying seasonally or avoiding BOGOF offers.”

Professor Kerry Kirwan, Head of Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing, will be representing WMG at SMMT’s International Automotive Summit on Wednesday (29 June).

The Summit takes place at IET London and is one of the key events in the automotive calendar. Professor Kirwan will sit alongside experts from Jaguar Land Rover and TRW Aftermarket UK on the Automotive and the Circular Economy Panel.

More information and the full agenda can be found here.

WMG, University of Warwick, has joined forces with the University of Oxford and Imperial College London to launch ‘Autonomous Driving Challenge 2016’, for all ages.

The Challenge aims to encourage the next generation of designers and engineers to really push the boundaries of robotics. There will be a range of prizes in different age categories: ages 4-8, 9-12, 13-17 and 18+. Participants must design and create their own vehicle, make a racetrack and ‘teach’ their vehicle to drive freely around it.

Carsten Maple, WMG’s Professor of Cyber Systems Engineering, said: “As founding members of the EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems Network we are pleased to be working in collaboration with Imperial College London and the University of Oxford to coordinate Autonomous Driving Challenge 2016.