21st Annual CIM Symposium - Globalisation 2.0

28 - 29 September 2017

Rethinking supply chains in the new technological and political landscape.

For the CIM Symposium in 2018, please visit the 2018 conference website.

CIM Symposium 2017

Overview | Speakers | Registration

The 21st annual Cambridge International Manufacturing Symposium provides the chance to hear from world-leading business figures and thinkers on the challenges facing modern manufacturing. It is a unique event that brings together senior industrialists and leading academics to share approaches and experiences in this strategic domain.

The Symposium includes keynote speakers from the world’s leading companies and universities, mixed with informal networking opportunities. It aims to create a growing community of international manufacturing enthusiasts and to inspire ‘thought leadership’ in this exciting field.

Programme Available Here

Themes

Globalisation 2.0 and supply chain transformation

Globalisation of operations increases supply network complexities while de-globalisation trends pose a threat to product, information and financial flows. What are the predominant future supply chain archetypes and is supply chain integration part of the solution?

Digitally-enabled consumer-centric supply chains

We examine how the conceptualisation of digital supply chains is being used to inform new requirements for digital infrastructures and standards and the potential for connecting App & devise-aware consumers with their product manufacturing supply chains, including the latest global developments in e-commerce and last-mile logistics.

Digital supply chain design, analysis and operation

The emergence of digital technologies is driving innovations, in terms of 'products' and 'services'. This requires greater visibility, alignment and integration across an increasingly complex network of multiple partners, to deliver better 'service outcomes' and 'customer experience'. In this track we examine the implications of digitalisation on the design of future service supply networks.

Collaborative supply chain models, crowdsourcing, and the sharing economy

The emergence of major business-to-business players in the sharing economy is enabling businesses to share access to everything from collaborative capabilities to resources in the supply chain. We explore how sharing resources streamlines companies, enabling them to operate faster and react quickly to market changes in a more efficient and effective manner.

East-West power balance: where next for emerging country MNCs?

What are the impacts of emerging countries and their emerging MNCs on the global economy and the configuration of manufacturing value chain activities worldwide? We will explore the latest results emerging from cross-sector studies across the BRICS and other emerging economies.

Reshoring and distributed manufacturing: new paradigms

Whilst reshoring and distributed manufacturing is capturing the interest of companies and researchers alike, it remains unclear as to the extent to which it is likely to replace traditional manufacturing models. We explore the enabling characteristics, challenges and opportunities.

Technology-disrupted supply chains

This track explores how Big Data, Industrial Internet of Things and cloud computing will combine with alternative production processes such as continuous, additive, flexible/collaborative automation, as well as the use of driverless vehicles and drones. What new capabilities are required in terms of equipment, technology, systems, skills and attitudes?

Impact of sustainability and the circular economy
How can existing and novel approaches inform firms to best configure circular supply chain networks to achieve viability under the umbrella of the 'triple bottom line' of sustainability?

Risk and resilience of global supply networks
With cybersecurity risks growing, how do companies ensure that factory production systems or HVAC systems rise to the same level of computer protection to ensure cyber resilience? Many complex global supply chains lack transparency, companies do not know where the risks lie, or how to manage and mitigate them. How can we achieve complete visibility across all data at multiple tiers of the supply chain with the help of the right technologies and information systems?