Yamazaki Mazak has backed the CBI’s Innovation agenda with the hosting of a special Business Insights Conference.
The conference, held at Mazak’s European Technology Centre in Worcester, was attended by nearly 100 delegates from senior positions across business and industry in the West Midlands.
The one-day conference, which explored the issue of ‘Innovation’, specifically how organisations can develop a more innovative culture, included talks from a host of speakers, including Aon Affinity, Innovation Birmingham, Freeths law firm, LEVC, Kimal PLC and Strategenic.
The conference agenda started with a presentation by Marcus Burton, Non-Executive Director at Yamazaki Mazak, on innovation in manufacturing systems and the new opportunities available through digitalisation. Specifically, Mr Burton referenced the importance of digitalisation and the Government’s Made Smarter Review, which aims to increase the uptake of digital technology in manufacturing supply chains.
Sally Hannah, CBI Deputy Director, West Midlands and Oxfordshire, commented: “Innovation is fundamental to business and economic prosperity. Our Innovation Conference explored how business can create a workforce culture that embraces innovation and embeds it into the day to day work of an organisation. Our goal was to give every attendee a real-life example or practical idea that could be implemented into their business and I believe our panel of speakers, more than delivered this objective.”
Marcus Burton commented: “If UK business is to continue to thrive it must harness the power of innovation and specifically digitalisation. The announcement by the Government to establish the “Made Smarter” commission and support an initial pilot in the North West of England is very good news for UK manufacturing and its supply chains, reinforcing the importance of developing a culture that embraces innovation and new ways of working.”
