Supply chain objectives

The Supply Chain Workstream is concentrating on three linked objectives.

Raising awareness

The Electronics Innovation and Growth Team (EIGT) realised that in a globalised industry, it is vital for UK-based companies to manage their place in the supply chain effectively and strategically. However, there are concerns that large parts of the electronics industry in the UK either do not realise this, or do not know how to raise their game. That’s why the first priority for the Supply Chain Workstream is to get every part of the industry to think about the value that better supply chain management could add, and to understand how to achieve it.

Decision-making tools

EIGT proposed a new ‘toolkit’ to help companies make the right strategic decisions about sourcing. Some of these tools already exist and others are being developed. They range from cost-modelling software to benchmarking processes. The Supply Chain Workstream is investigating what tools are available, how they are delivered, and what the real needs of the UK electronics industry are. We will work with business support providers and others to help the industry make the most of existing tools, to decide whether new ones are needed, and help work out how they could be delivered.

Managing the impact of regulation

Recent environmental legislation, such as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive, has had a big impact across the electronics supply chain. We will work with the industry to identify the most important challenges and opportunities posed by current and future regulation. We will then join up with the sector skills council for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies, SEMTA, to make sure that UK companies can find the training and support they need to manage the challenges and exploit the opportunities.