Background:

Manufacturing is the lifeblood of economic growth in the UK, directly and indirectly supporting 23% of the British Economy and providing directly and indirectly over 5 million jobs, with salaries above the whole economy average. While manufacturing is the biggest contributor to emissions in the world, it is also the sector that can help create the infrastructure and products that are going to empower the future of our world, from hydrogen infrastructure, to intelligent prosthetics and advanced medical equipment.

The future is promising and digital technologies can be the fuel that accelerates and enables a better future. From supercomputing that can accelerate design, to additive manufacturing to let design freedom flourish, to smart factories and supply chains where decision makers can make fast, proactive and informed decisions, to smart products with extended lives, to completely connected product life cycles that enable a more sustainable and circular economy. All of this, accompanied by co-pilots, powered by advanced AI technology, that can work alongside humans, making technology more accessible, propelling productivity and empowering humans to achieve more than ever before.

Speaker:

Dr Lina Huertas FIMechE is the Manufacturing Industrial Advisor in Microsoft UK, helping UK manufacturers drive their digital transformation and driving value by adopting the breadth of technology solutions available from Microsoft and its partner ecosystem. Her focus is primarily on smart factories, accelerated product development and agile supply chains, and underpinned by sustainability, security and a human-driven approach. She has spent 15 years working in digital manufacturing innovation, including roles in national strategy, technology strategy, team leadership, programme management and digital manufacturing tool development. She is a Mechanical Engineer by training, completed her PhD on digital manufacturing from Loughborough University and is a Fellow of the IMechE.