News
The Commission discusses Industry 4.0 and health and social care in Manchester
7 April 2017
On Tuesday 4 April, the Industrial Strategy Commission held two evidence sessions in Manchester at the Industry 4.0 Summit and at The University of Manchester.
Industry 4.0 evidence session
At the Industry 4.0 Summit, which was held at Manchester Central, the Commissioners held a two-hour roundtable session with leading attendees and speakers at the summit.
Industry 4.0 is a broad term used to describe the integration of manufacturing technologies with digital technologies, and covers issues such as automation, the Internet of things, cloud computing and ‘smart factories’.
The Commissioners and attendees had a fruitful conversation which covered the skills that the manufacturing sector needs, how an industrial strategy should be organised and different approaches to industrial strategy across Europe.
Participants in the roundtable included representatives from organisations including TechUK, the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership, Industry 4.0, Roland Berger, Airbus group and Bosch Rexroth.
Health and social care evidence session
In the afternoon the Commission held an evidence session on health and social care in the Whitworth Council Chamber at The University of Manchester.
The evidence session was attended by a number of thought-leading academics from across the university, as well as by a representative from Manchester City Council who provided an insight into health devolution within the city.
Precision medicine, research innovation, inequality in access to health and social care and productivity in the healthcare sector were all discussed, in relation to a new industrial strategy.
The Industrial Strategy Commission’s next evidence session will take place on Wednesday 19 April.
The session, a joint event with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Inclusive Growth, will take place in Parliament and will focus on what a place-based industrial strategy could look like. The event is open to all.