Innovation beyond technology: how supply chain disruption is redefining manufacturing value
Innovation beyond technology: how supply chain disruption is redefining manufacturing value
Publish Date: 2026-05-08 14:00:00
Source Domain: www.themanufacturer.com
For decades, innovation in industry has been tied to emerging technologies- automation, digital transformation, and more recently AI. In today’s business environment, innovation is taking on a different form for many companies.
Across industry, manufacturers and distributors are facing unprecedented challenges across their supply chains. Tariffs, sanctions, conflicts, and fluctuating fuel prices are leading to hugely extended lead times, discontinued components and soaring costs. Without innovation, businesses can’t survive.
One UK based manufacturing firm, BEC Group, is seeing first-hand how businesses are adapting their sourcing and manufacturing, not just to survive, but to improve their products, and explore new commercial opportunities.
Turning a problem into an advantage
The many challenges that businesses have faced over the past decade have exposed a fundamental over-reliance on external suppliers and lengthy supply chains. When components are delayed, or discontinued, they face a real problem.
Instead of remaining at the mercy of these suppliers and future problems, proactive organisations are taking business into their own hands, and creating new opportunity through:
- Re-engineering their products to improve functionality and costs
- Utilising fast manufacturing techniques to test new ways of producing existing parts
- Reshoring production to the UK
- Developing new business opportunities through re-engineering
“What begins as a reactive measure, can become a transformative advantage” commented Mike Tharme, Engineering Director. “A great example of this is Guru Systems. After experiencing extensive issues with their offshore manufacturer, they successfully reshored their manufacturing to the UK, allowing for far easier communication, and shorter lead times”.
Re-Engineering for the future
Essential components becoming unavailable or unaffordable has driven a wave of re-engineering amongst proactive…
