Supporting businesses within Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole benefits the local economy and the community. Smart Place is developing solutions to help increase industrial productivity, improve logistics, support the local supply chain and more.

Below are some of the outcomes we are developing.

Increasing productivity

The BCP Council area has a £1bn annual productivity deficit compared to the rest of the UK. Businesses in Dorset have cited poor digital connectivity as one of the top three reasons why productivity lags behind the rest of the UK.

Within its Industrial Strategy, government has identified the significant opportunities there are within 5G-enabled manufacturing as part of Industry 4.0.

Enabling better industrial logistics

Industrial activities are subject to many variations due to factors such as ‘just-in-time’ production, manufacturing specifications, changes in the supply chain, amended orders, fluctuation in human resources etc.

Production logistics need to adapt to these changing circumstances to avoid waste and diminishing profit.

Creating new manufacturing and digital opportunities

The Smart Place programme provides a unique opportunity for the mature advanced manufacturing and digital creative sectors within Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole to be at the forefront of developing new 5G machines and applications.

Supporting the local supply chain

A study by the New Economics Foundation indicated that for every pound spent with local suppliers, £1.76 was recirculated within the local economy compared with 36p when spent with national providers. The response to COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of local suppliers.

Enabling home and remote working

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of having fully functional, high capacity digital networks and systems in place to enable teleworking. Whilst office-based jobs are currently considered most suitable for home working, the further development of advanced digital technologies will enable other, more industrial jobs to be conducted remotely in the future.