Improving digital connectivity in rural areas could unlock economic growth for UK manufacturing
NOVEMBER 22, 2023 12.33 EUROPE/LONDON BY JULIAN CLOVER

Improved rural connectivity could increase turnover for rural manufacturing businesses by over 7%, according to new research conducted by Cebr.

Virgin Media O2, which released the data, said it was committed to boosting connectivity in rural communities and tackling signal not-spots under the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme. The operator is also working with manufacturer British Sugar to install the UK’s first multi-site 4G and 5G-ready private network, spanning Norfolk, Suffolk and Nottinghamshire to boost productivity.

The Cebr data suggests many factories are located away from cities and urban areas, with nearly half of manufacturing jobs located in rural areas. Recent output data shows the sector has been struggling due to the UK’s persistent productivity challenge, with the majority of manufacturers saying they expect economic conditions in the UK to either significantly or moderately deteriorate.

Virgin argues technology has the power to help address some of the challenges faced by the UK manufacturing sector, for example, enabling greater automation to reduce human error and machine failure, and wearable technology that improves safety and effectiveness. Many of these new tools require high-quality connectivity, something that’s historically not been as available in rural areas.

Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2 said: “The manufacturing industry is key to the success of the UK economy, and our Great Rural Revival report demonstrates that improved connectivity can unlock an additional £8.8 billion of further growth for rural manufacturing, as well as increasing employment by almost 8%.

“The last decade has seen fixed and mobile networks rolled out to new corners of the UK and we are committed to continuing this rollout. By working closely with industry partners, the UK Government, planning authorities and landowners, we can deliver the essential network upgrades that will enable rural manufacturers to adopt new technologies and continue to thrive.”

Virgin’s work for British Sugar has supported the installation of multiple IoT (Internet of Things) devices and the development of several ‘factory of the future’ use cases. These include optimising the production process, introducing AI to the factory to monitor operations in real time and predict downtime in advance, and enabling the use of cutting-edge robotics to streamline production even further.

Dr. Nandini Chakrovorti, Associate Director of Digital Engineering at The Manufacturing Technology Centre, said, “In a world of reduced resources, manufacturers are under increasing pressure to optimise their processes to extract the maximum value at all times whilst minimising their impact on the environment. Technologies such as AI, robotics and digital twins all significantly contribute to this endeavour. But connectivity is key to maximising their impact in real-time, so that manufacturers can increase their productivity and global competitiveness in a sustainable way.”

The survey was conducted by Opinium and asked 1096 respondents with a decision-making role on tasks related to digital connectivity. The results were broken down by the industries in scope (agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing).