Digital Catapult launches platform to solve supply chain setbacks

(London, United Kingdom, 18th July 2024) 

Digital Catapult has today launched the Digital Supply Chain Hub, a platform designed to facilitate strategic collaboration between manufacturers and digital solution providers across the country. The new platform will meet industry demand to accelerate the digitalisation of supply chain operations, driving resilience and sustainability through the application of deep tech solutions. 

Immediately available to businesses, the Hub has been developed by Digital Catapult to tackle problems often encountered during the search for a suitable supply chain partner, such as siloed operations and ineffective information transfer. The platform will remedy these problems by offering bespoke educational modules to address critical skills shortages in the UK, empowering users to leverage the Hub’s matching functionality to connect to businesses relevant to their specific challenge areas. 

For businesses keen to commence their digitalisation journey, the Hub will have valuable resources available including tools such as the Edge Digital Manufacturing readiness tool and the supply chain resilience navigator by WMG. Both tools will help businesses to better understand how to make their supply chains more sustainable, resilient and efficient, strengthening sectors including advanced manufacturing, energy, food and drink, and more.

Tim Lawrence, Director of the Digital Supply Chain Hub at Digital Catapult, said: “We are excited to launch the new Digital Supply Chain Hub, reflecting the hard work, dedication and commitment of our team. The platform marks a significant step towards greater collaboration, cooperation and communication in the supply chain sector, fuelling innovation and new ideas. By creating a commercially neutral ecosystem, we will enable industry leaders, researchers, and technology providers to address critical supply chain challenges directly, strengthening critical economic sectors and empowering businesses to apply new solutions to transform their operations.

Community forums, known as Circles, will also be a feature of the Hub, encouraging users to engage in meaningful discussions on supply chain challenges such as logistics optimisation, sustainability and risk management. It is hoped that these forums, educational modules and matching capabilities will enhance the UK’s overall supply chain resilience and efficiency, fostering greater understanding of new solutions, and enabling technology providers to scale faster with an enriched understanding of the state of global supply chains. 

The launch of the Hub comes as over 60% of most industrial companies’ CO2 emissions originate from the supply chain, encouraging more businesses to explore applications of deep technology to advance industrial sustainability in their operations. The majority of the UK’s logistics industry is also seeking digital solutions to optimise their operations, with 86.5% planning to invest in at least one digital technology solution over the next two years, fuelling demand for the services available on the platform.

The Digital Supply Chain Hub is now open to users from across the UK’s supply chain ecosystem. To join the platform and start connecting with supply chain leaders, visit hub.digitalsupplychainhub.uk/register  

Ravi Gidoomal, director of Edge Digital Manufacturing, said: “Navigating new technologies can be overwhelming and many leaders we speak with don’t know where to start or what to do next. Others find it hard to maintain momentum and get their team excited about change with all the other pressing demands on their time. We’ve developed the Digital Supply Chain Readiness course to provide real-life examples and practical actions, helping leaders to take their first or next step to digitalise their supply chains.”