Environmental sustainability is top of the manufacturing agenda, with a growing need for manufacturing processes that make the best possible use of natural resources. However, if more resource-efficient processes are to be welcomed by industry, they must be cost-competitive and centred around circular economy principles.

We must also support energy-orientated solutions such as electrification, hydrogen infrastructure, sustainable fuels and small-scale nuclear reactors.

Company and supply chain level challenges

Whilst the benefits of embracing resource-efficient manufacturing are clear, there are various company and supply chain level challenges. A lack of technology investment and a suitable talent pool are just some of the hurdles that must be overcome.

The UK and Scotland have identified hydrogen as a key technology for helping to reach net-zero targets by 2045.

While hydrogen use does not directly reduce carbon emissions, it is central for transferring and storing energy, allowing renewably generated electricity to replace fossil fuels for applications where direct electricity or battery use are unsuitable.

There is a range of ambitious, innovative, hydrogen-related projects across Scotland; however, uptake is currently limited by production and deployment costs.

Indistry challenges

Due to its high cost of production and fluctuating demand, hydrogen can be challenging to generate reliably, while there are issues centred around a lack of suitable storage infrastructure.

Electrification refers to the process of replacing technologies that use fossil fuels with technologies that use electricity as a source of energy, potentially reducing emissions by up 65 per cent.

Investment in electrification is expected to reach over £300 billion in the next five to ten years. Scotland will build a high-value manufacturing base for low volume zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), propulsion systems, and decarbonisation.

The University of Strathclyde is already delivering a far-reaching electrification strategy encompassing NMIS, the Digital Process Manufacturing Centre (DPMC), Electronic and Electrical Engineering Strathclyde, and Design Manufacturing and Engineering Management Strathclyde.

This unique entity will support challenges and offer electrification design, modelling, manufacture, and validation solutions.

Industry challenges

Embracing electrification across industry does not come without its difficulties, namely identifying the best way to tackle the growing need to increase power density and efficiency, while reducing weight and cost and potentially lengthy delays in getting new products to market.

As the UK progresses on its journey for Green Industrial Revolution, there will be a need for low-carbon, reliable and resilient power generation. This need spans across multiple sectors as the decarbonisation of industry and transport continues.

By establishing high-value UK based supply chains for emerging energy sectors of small modular reactors and fusion and carbon capture and energy storage, the manufacturing industry can more effectively meet the escalating demand for these new technologies and explore their opportunities.

 Industry challenges 

A lack of available investment and a need for innovation, particularly with making manufacturing processes for renewables more environmentally friendly, is required to reap the benefits of these new energy sources.