25th September 2024
Welcome back to the Shock of the New campaign, which originally ran five stories from July – November 2023, concluding with a downloadable e-book comprising all stories and artwork.
Part II further investigates “The shock of the new” highlighting the dynamic relationship between innovation and the human response to change. It acknowledges that whilst change can be challenging, it can also lead to profound advancements and opportunities for societal and sustainable development.
Supporting artwork featured throughout this article is a continuation of the ai generated artwork featured in the original Shock of the New campaign. It uses ai prompts to depict emerging markets and technologies in different modern art styles – A nod to the inspiration of Robert Hughes’ documentary and book of the same name, along with the recent disruption and adoption of artificial intelligence technologies.
Interested in knowing more? Click Here.
To open the second part of the campaign, Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation (PP C&A), states that if the UK continues to outsource its green technology production overseas, it risks squandering a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
Welcome to the race towards a low-carbon future, where a host of clean and green technology sectors are evolving and vying for the unprecedented opportunities that are emerging.
The opportunities I speak of are especially relevant for the United Kingdom, which stands at the threshold of a transformative era. However, we need to embrace it and act now to avoid squandering the chance to achieve a richer economic playing field that we all benefit from.
It is a chance, ultimately, to reclaim global relevance, spurred on by the convergence of ambitious net-zero targets, rising public and governmental support, and a burgeoning green technology ecosystem.
There is a caveat. To truly capitalise on this potential, the UK must prioritise manufacturing green innovations onshore. If we fail to retain the production of our green technology domestically, we risk losing not just economic benefits but the leadership role we seek in the global green transition.
The clean energy sector – encompassing wind, solar, hydrogen, electric vehicles (EVs), and battery storage – is undergoing explosive growth. Ambitious commitments to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 triggered a surge in renewables, energy efficiency, and climate technologies, including offshore wind – a jewel in the crown of our energy production.
Britain is now one of the world’s leading offshore wind producers. The government’s Energy White Paper (2020) outlined how these sectors could play a central role in decarbonising the UK economy.
There are a couple of side notes at this point.
Starting with point 1, the emergence of AI has resulted in shifts across the investment landscape – venture funding for AI has zoomed ahead of climate-tech (BloombergNEF).
In the first half of 2024, climate tech funding dropped by 16% compared to the same period in 2023, whilst AI startups saw a 60% rise in funding. The escalating costs of AI development, which can exceed $1 billion by 2027 for training large models, may be diverting investments from climate tech, especially for early-stage companies struggling to bridge the ‘valley of death’ and secure Series B rounds.
This slowdown comes after a funding boom in 2021-2022, with many investors now waiting for returns before reinvesting. Globally, climate tech funding fell from $44 billion in 2023 to currently $22 billion in 2024, with the US leading in investments, particularly in clean power and energy storage startups.
As AI soaks up money and investor attention, there’s an underlying feeling that this is but a ‘bump in the road’ for climate-tech investment and not the end, as an enormous amount of capital is needed for climate finance right now, not to mention a healthy collaborative ecosystem to help in scaling up. Make no mistake, AI may be the poster boy right now, but climate-tech and green technologies will bounce back.
At PP C&A, we’re making a concerted effort to lend a hand in this area through collaborative networks such as PP Plus, CESPA (Clean Energy Systems Partner Alliance), and PPXJ Agritech. More on those later.
On to point 2. While ideas and innovations in green technology have been flourishing on British soil, much of the production has been outsourced abroad, particularly to countries like China and Germany. This is a trend that needs to be reversed if the UK is to maximise the economic potential of its green innovations. It is not enough to simply design groundbreaking technologies domestically; we must manufacture them here and ensure that any economic wealth created stays here.
The argument for onshoring clean energy manufacturing and green tech is compelling. First, by producing these technologies in the UK, the country can boost its domestic economy, creating thousands of high-skilled jobs in the process.
Research by Make UK, a high-profile body representing manufacturers, suggests that every industrial job supports up to four additional jobs in the wider economy, contributing significantly to local communities. A 2021 study by Oxford Economics further found that UK manufacturing contributes £192 billion to the economy annually and supports 2.7 million jobs, demonstrating its significance to national prosperity.
In the clean energy sector specifically, the potential for job creation is substantial. For example, the UK’s offshore wind sector alone could generate up to 60,000 direct jobs by 2030, according to the Offshore Wind Industry Council. Add to that the manufacturing roles in battery production, electric vehicles, solar panel assembly, and hydrogen technologies, and it becomes clear that onshore production of clean technologies could act as a catalyst for an employment boom and economic rejuvenation across the country.
Furthermore, manufacturing in the UK ensures the nation retains full control over its supply chains. Recent global disruptions, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions, have underscored the importance of having resilient, local supply. By keeping production at home, domestic companies can mitigate the risks of external disruptions and secure a stable supply of green technologies, which will be vital in achieving net-zero targets on time.
The UK is home to world-class research institutions, a thriving start-up ecosystem, and is increasingly becoming a hub for green innovation. British universities and private companies have pioneered advancements in renewable energy technologies, energy storage, and clean transportation solutions. However, without domestic manufacturing, we risk losing the strategic advantage of being an innovation leader.
Outsourcing production overseas often leads to the export of intellectual property (IP), reducing the long-term benefits of innovation. When UK-born ideas are manufactured overseas, foreign competitors can replicate or reverse-engineer those innovations. This diminishes our competitive edge and undermines our potential to capitalise fully on homegrown ideas.
By manufacturing domestically, the UK can safeguard its intellectual property and ensure that the returns from innovation flow back into our economy.
Onshore manufacturing of green technologies is an economic imperative, but it also aligns with broader environmental goals. To meet its 2050 net-zero targets, the UK will need to drastically reduce emissions across all sectors. Importing green technologies from overseas often arrive with a significant carbon footprint due to shipping and transportation.
Production onshore also supports a circular economy, where resources are used efficiently, waste is minimised, and products are designed for longevity and recyclability. The UK government’s Green Industrial Revolution agenda aims to foster this kind of sustainability-driven economic model. By keeping production local, the UK can embed ‘greener ways of doing things’ into every step of the manufacturing process, from design to end-of-life disposal, furthering its environmental leadership on the global stage.
The window to establish a leading role in the global clean and green-tech economy is finite, and countries like Germany, China, and the United States are aggressively positioning themselves to capitalise on it. Failure to act now would not only see the UK fall behind in the race to lead the revolution but would also result in significant economic and environmental costs.
There is a growing public and political consensus around the importance of supporting domestic industries. The British public increasingly favours goods made in the UK, with a 2020 YouGov poll showing that 67% of people believe the government should prioritise supporting domestic businesses. This suggests there is both the political will and public support for policies that promote onshore manufacturing in green technology sectors.
It is one thing to talk the talk on green technologies, and hopefully my passion on this subject is evident, but how am I, and my business acting on it? Well actually, in quite a few ways! The secret here is collaboration.
We’re no strangers to collaboration at PP C&A, having been a founding member of the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN) in 2006, when UK manufacturing was suffering from the collapse of major manufacturers, including MG Rover, Peugeot’s Ryton Plant and Agco.
It was impeded by a lack of Government support and faced with increasing commercial pressures from low-cost rivals in Eastern Europe, the Far East and sub-continent. In short, industry was lacking ambition and confidence.
Founding members of the group had a common interest in tackling these notions and believed the answers lay within a collaborative approach. The group still carries this belief today, and 18 years on, it continues to fly the flag for UK manufacturing, and in recent years, turning its attention to encouraging the next generation of engineers through its rapidly expanding Design & Make Challenge.
Manufacturing Assembly Network Design & Make Challenge 2024
During the pandemic, we set up the #UKMfgUnite platform, attracting over 300 UK manufacturers to help overcome supply chain disruptions and champion the reshoring effort. Today, we have a similar approach through several collaborations that aim to capture this window of opportunity in clean and green technologies.
The first of those collaborations is PP Plus, a carefully curated collective with over 20 organisations across UK manufacturing, academia, and professional services. It is acting as a single source for green tech start-ups to bridge the commercial valley of death and scale faster.
Born from close collaboration with other members of the PP Plus ecosystem is a new partnership that has become the bridge between cutting-edge agricultural innovation and bringing the technology to market. PPXJ Agritech is helping innovators with everything from access to academic researchers and leaders, to the design and engineering capabilities needed to realise agricultural innovations.
Our most recent endeavour is CESPA (Clean Energy Systems Partner Alliance), a pioneering collaboration between six industry leading companies. The partnership is harnessing innovation in clean energy systems through an alliance of complimentary design & engineering capabilities, and hardware & software solutions, to drive efficiency and environmental stewardship.
We’re actively building a blueprint for better collaboration across the spectrum of green technologies, which, at its heart, is driven by the imperative of keeping production onshore.
PP Plus is an easy access support network designed to help create a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future by supporting the growth of technological innovations in the UK.
PP Plus offers three pillars of support (Manufacturing, Business, Academia) that give access to hundreds of capabilities, services, and methods to help fledgling businesses rise through seed investment, to the flourishing market debut of their ground-breaking green technology.
The PP Plus partner network, founded by PP C&A, is a carefully curated collective, selected with discernment and purpose. They share a unique blueprint for better collaboration. Together, they constitute the most accessible growth support network in UK manufacturing, serving as the catalyst for a multiplier effect that unites entire communities in the shared mission of guiding successful innovation.
For more information on how PP Plus is supporting GreenTech innovators, see the brand new website, launched to promote its important mission and the services of its network of over 20 partners.
Harnessing innovation in clean energy systems through an alliance of complimentary design & engineering capabilities to drive efficiency and environmental stewardship.
PP Control & Automation has partnered with Jaltek and other associates to act as the bridge between cutting-edge agricultural innovation and bringing the technology to market.
The emerging green technology sectors offer a historic opportunity for UK manufacturers to lead the global clean energy transition, to solve rapid environmental changes and escalating food demands, and to benefit from sustainability and a circular economy.
In short, by manufacturing green technologies domestically, the UK can create jobs, strengthen its economy, secure resilient supply chains, and meet its climate goals.
Importantly, keeping production onshore ensures that the UK retains the economic value of its innovations and remains at the forefront of global efforts to combat critical issues such as climate change. This is a window of opportunity that the UK cannot afford to miss. By investing in onshore manufacturing now, the UK can build a greener, more prosperous future for generations to come.
The Shock of the New campaign comprises of several stories published since July 2023. Part I of the campaign included 5 stories and a downloadable e-book. Part II will consist of five more stories and another e-book collection. All can be found in the carousel below.
“The shock of the new” highlights the dynamic relationship between innovation and the human response to change. It acknowledges that whilst change can be challenging, it can also lead to profound advancements and opportunities for societal and sustainable development.
The fourth industrial revolution has a new engine and manufacturing is on the cusp of its most transformative era since the invention of the assembly line.
Recent history has been defined by turbulence and supply chains have become the front line of disruption. These shocks have acted as both a warning and a wake-up call.
At the heart of the green transformation lies a somewhat critical element: skills. Shock of the New reacts to the 2024 Global Green Skills Report.
The Shock of the New campaign returns, as Tony Hague states that if the UK continues to outsource its green technology production overseas, it risks squandering a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
Over 70 pages, collecting every story from the Shock of the New campaign. Includes bonus content and available for instant free download.
What if by understanding what works across other regions, successful approaches can be combined to build a collaboration blueprint for UK manufacturers to call their own.
In an era where environmental concerns are at the forefront of global discourse, the UK manufacturing sector finds itself at a crossroads. To flourish, there is a compelling argument that it must undergo a profound transformation towards sustainability.
The Greentech landscape and opportunity for innovation and investment is driving the sustainability agenda and encompasses a wide range of new technologies.
There are various types of machines and devices that contribute to the circular economy by enabling resource conservation, waste reduction, recycling, and the reuse of materials. The demand increase in these varieties has been more progressive in recent years.
When adopting new technologies and exploring emerging industries, there is often a disruptive element involved. They can challenge established norms, disrupt traditional industries, and require individuals and organisations to adapt to new ways of doing things.
Ian Knight, Chief Information Officer at PP Control & Automation (PP C&A) challenges the prevailing, often vague narrative around AI adoption and reframes the conversation around a more practical starting point: operational constraints.
Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept for manufacturers. It is already being explored across quotation, production planning, engineering, quality, supply chain and customer service functions. Yet, for many organisations, the gap between experimentation and meaningful operational impact remains difficult to close.
A leading aquaculture specialist – that is changing the way fish are vaccinated safely – has signed a major manufacturing deal.
On paper, defined discipline-specific suppliers can look organised. However, every additional supplier introduces another handoff, and every handoff creates another point where time, quality, communication and accountability can be lost.
Very rarely does growth not surface because an OEM lacks ambition. Shortcomings arise because operating models built to support such ambition don’t evolve quickly enough.
Recent weeks have brought two important industry moments into sharp focus, concluding that demand for AI and automation is rising, but investment, skills, and long-term thinking must follow.
For decades, one question has sat at the heart of operational strategy for machine builders and OEMs: make or buy? It’s a familiar debate and it isn’t the wrong question by any means, but perhaps it is an incomplete one.
In most machine building businesses, change is still treated as an exception. A late-stage drawing revision, component substitution, or wiring tweak discovered during build. Each one is handled, resolved, and signed off. And then everyone moves on. But what if that’s the wrong way to think about it? What if change isn’t the disruption to the system but the system itself?
