Adastral Park - British Science Week - Engineering: Digital Manufacturing

Day 3: Engineering - Digital Manufacturing

1 - Introduction

Meet Ose and Dan, our hosts for the day, who will introduce you to the world of Digital Manufacturing with our team of experts from BT and Rolls-Royce:

2 - Digital Manufacturing with Mike

Dan (host): Now we know what we're going to be exploring, let me introduce you to our first industry expert, Mike. He will be looking at what's involved in manufacturing your everyday items whilst looking at the technologies and engineers that make this all possible.

Over to you Mike...

Mike

Research and Innovation Manager, BT

Key qualifications: MBA and 40+ years of experience.

What does your job involve? Identifying, showcasing and deploying new and innovative technology. The best thing is working across a range of technologies such as quantum computing, cybersecurity, 5G, internet of things, robotics, artificial intelligence / machine learning and working out how this can benefit organisations.

How did you get into your current role? Multiple changes of direction over the years. Initially trained in satellite communications systems, but also in sales / marketing, operations, strategy, product development and human resources.

What did you want to be when you were younger? Sports journalist / broadcaster or pilot.

What do you do outside work? Running, cycling, reading, badly playing the guitar and attempting to grow vegetables.

Mike: Thanks for watching my video, I hope you've enjoyed learning about Digital Manufacturing! We have had some questions submitted relating to this topic in the lead up to British Science Week which are answered below. However, if you have any questions, we'd love to hear from you. Please email computerscience@bt.com. We also held a live Q&A session on the day, a recording of which can be seen below...

Questions and answers

Question:
What impact do you think the pandemic has had on manufacturing and logistics?

Answer:
The pandemic has accelerated the digitisation of manufacturing and Industry 4.0. With supply chains disrupted companies have had to become more adaptable. Equally travel restrictions have accelerated the deployment of augmented reality (AR), to support remote expert scenarios, to the extent that it is probably here to stay now with the tradition of 3rd party engineers flying out to sites maybe a thing of the past! Finally companies are moving much more to Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Co-robots (Cobots) to reduce the number of humans on the factory/warehouse floor which has driven the need for new technologies like private 5G.

Question:
What do you think is now one of the biggest worries for manufacturing companies, even as we start to get back to normal?

Answer:
Cyber security attacks on operational technology have accelerated significantly during the past two years, with organised crime and state-sponsored actors attacking power grids, water treatment plants, oil pipelines and the like. Also the nature of attacks has changed, from stealing intellectual property to attacks designed to create significant brand damage, to even attacks on safety systems to injure or kill people. This is a particular worry as most operational environments are very insecure, having relied on being air-gapped from IT in the past which is no longer an option when deploying Industry 4.0 apps.

See more manufacturing questions and answers...

Got a question? email computerscience@bt.com

3 - Have a go activities

Ose (host): Now it's your turn to have a go at building your own Rolls-Royce Trent Engine! You can download the activity pack to get step-by-step instructions...

Download activity pack

4 - Career profiles

Dan (host): Digital Manufacturing can lead to a really exciting career and you might be surprised by the various different roles available within this space. Below we've pulled together some profiles of people from Adastral Park and across BT that work in this area. Take a look and discover how varied a career in this space could be.

Andy

Product manager, Connect Services Platform DigiCo, BT

Key qualifications: BSc Economics, Prince 2, loads of techy stuff.

What does your job involve? Working with top-level executives to develop new business propositions utilising emerging technologies. The best thing is travelling all over the world to see customers' businesses first hand, whether it's the biggest copper mine in Chile, Indian Railways, logistics centres in Thailand, or the Mercedes factory in Germany.

How did you get into your current role? I started in accountancy, and moved into developing IT solutions like the first home shopping and banking internet sites 20 years ago. From there I moved onto creating new business propositions, as diverse as IP based surveillance in 2002, tele-health in 2004, acoustic pipeline monitoring in 2008, and vehicle cyber security in 2014.

What did you want to be when you were younger? An architect.

What do you do outside work? Support charities, work out, international travel.

Salvatore

Digital solutions leader, BT

Key qualifications: Master's degree in Business Administration.

What does your job involve? Listening, understanding and anticipating global companies' challenges and then finding a way to overcome them using BT and strategic partners' solutions.

How did you get into your current role? Started off as a sales graduate and then grew to Sales Account Manager and then moved in BT as a Business developer.

What did you want to be when you were younger? Different roles: a football player, a software developer, an inventor and even an entrepreneur.

What do you do outside work? I love to cook (and eat) and drive fast cars!

Ant

BT client partner for Rolls-Royce

Key qualifications: BSc(Hons) Business Information Technology.

What does your job involve? I lead the team responsible for delivering BT services to all of Rolls-Royce's global operations and the best thing about my job is I get to work with brilliant, interesting people all around the world, so every day I learn something new.

How did you get into your current role? I joined BT as part of the BT Graduate scheme, initially working in the Finance division before moving into the Manufacturing sector, always in client facing roles.

What did you want to be when you were younger? Professional golfer, but my ambition exceeded my ability significantly!

What do you do outside work? Huge fan of exercise and currently training to do some Tour de France stages in the summer to raise money for Unicef.

5 - Rolls-Royce

Ose (host): Meet Steven from Rolls-Royce who will take you through how Rolls-Royce are using the latest Digital Manufacturing technologies in their Smart Factories.

Over to you Steven...

Steven

Technical specialist in Smart Factories, Cyber-Physical Systems, Rolls-Royce plc.

Key qualifications: BEng (Hons) In Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Member of the IET, Chartered Engineer and Eur Ing accredited.

What does your job involve? I have a background within the Manufacturing sector with technology development and application. Specifically developing advanced robotic and automation systems for new manufacturing technologies and assembly processes, along with designing and delivering new Smart factories with integrated Digital Manufacturing and IT Systems. I am also passionate about STEM and empowering future generations of all abilities to make a difference!

How did you get into your current role? I joined Rolls-Royce plc group 11 years ago as an Automation and Integration Lead technical specialist. I spent 5 years as part of a team designing, developing and setting up an integrated Smart Factory. I then progressed into the current central group level role as Smart Factories, Cyber-Physical Systems Technical Specialist, with focus on strategy and technology capability development.

What did you want to be when you were younger? I loved football and F1 racing... I struggled in early school years and was diagnosed #madebydyslexia at 16. Things came together more then and accelerated. I was always curious on how things were designed, manufactured and I loved design, robotics and cars so wanted to be an engineer!

What do you do outside work? I like walking, listening to music, traveling, and exploring different cultures and foods!

Steven: I hope my video has inspired you to explore more about Digital Manufacturing. We have had some questions submitted relating to this topic in the lead up to British Science Week which are answered below. However, if you have any questions, we'd love to hear from you. Please email computerscience@bt.com.

Questions and answers

Question:
What would you say is the most exciting thing about Digital Manufacturing as an area to work in?

Answer:
Great question! One of the exciting things with Digital Manufacturing is the important Integration role it fulfils. We work with a wide range of different functions within the business including Design, Manufacturing, Quality, Automation, Robotics, Data Scientists, IT Systems, Cyber-security to name a few!

Question:
If you were to choose one thing, what part of Digital Manufacturing do you enjoy the most?

Answer:
Oh that's tough a question. I really like exploring new or emerging technologies and developing these as possible solutions that can be deployed into production solutions to make a real difference within the business. My favourite Smart Factories technologies include robotics, controls systems, EDGE technologies and advanced analytics AI. Being fortunate enough to have the opportunity to influence and contribute to international industry standards and represent Rolls-Royce is also personally rewarding.

Got a question? email computerscience@bt.com

6 - Related STEM learning content

If you enjoyed this content, why don't you take a look at some of these other great resources around this topic below:

Website
IET Engineering open house day
Take a look at what it's like to work as an engineer or technologist at BT, as part of our IET 'Engineering Open House Day'.
Supported by:

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Website
Rolls-Royce's STEM resources
Explore the array of brilliant STEM resources for all age groups that Rolls-Royce have on offer.
Supported by:

						Open  >

Website
BT's careers in engineering
This site will give you loads of information about careers in engineering at BT, including how to apply!
Supported by:

						Open  >

Website
Hardware
Join Isaac computer science as they take a look at the physical components required to manufacture a computer and how those parts then talk to each other.

						Open  >

Video
Science and engineering in space projects
Watch this short video from the BBC about engineering science used in space projects!

						Watch  >

Website
Openreach's engineering careers
Find out more information about Openreach’s exciting trainee engineer programme.

						Open  >

Day 4: Mathematics - Evolution of Computing >