UK must prepare for fourth industrial revolution, says report

Advanced digital technology could give UK manufacturing a huge boost and create hundreds of thousands of jobs, a new report claims. The independent review, chaired by the head of Siemens UK, highlights the benefits of robotics, 3D printing and artificial intelligence. But Juergen Maier said the UK needed "greater ambition" to take advantage of such technology. His report calls for a commission to help business adopt the advances. The report, Made Smarter, brought together executives from companies such as Rolls Royce, GKN and IBM, with representatives from small firms as well as academics from the universities of Newcastle and Cambridge.