UK Aerospace Industry drives innovation through collaboration

Innovation and collaboration beat firmly at the heart of this year’s West of England Aerospace Forum (WEAF) conference. Making us all reflect on how many bright ideas fail to turn into innovation because there is a lack of organisation and collaboration in taking them forward.

Take a moment to consider how many companies talk about their innovative thinking, products and processes. Maybe innovation is the norm rather than something special?... After all innovation is often a process of continuous improvement, evolving proven solutions and making them even better to ensure your business remains competitive or gets ahead.

It is clear that innovation is now being achieved in very different way, as Professor John Bessant from Exeter University explained when he created a picture of a new world of collaboration which is going beyond the company team. A world which brings teams together to innovate from all sorts of partnerships with suppliers, competitors, government agencies, colleges and even internet based open-networks of innovators.

This is particularly relevant to the aerospace industry with, on one hand bulging order books resulting from a constant pressure to get more people and planes into the air, and on the other hand a downward pressure on cost; not to mention carbon emissions. As Colin Smith, Director of engineering and technology at Rolls Royce PLC said he already needs his supply chain costs to come down 5% every year for at least the next three years for UK manufacture to keep up with growing overseas competitors. And with 85% of everything Roll-Royce make coming from its supply chain innovation through collaboration is clearly the way forward.

So it was very reassuring to hear at this year’s WEAF how well the UK aerospace industry is mobilising and organising to secure its future with collaboration at the heart of its innovation.

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