Why manufacturing supply chains matter and how to revitalise them

Supply chains are more than just getting goods from the factory to the customer. Well-functioning supply chains drive economic growth and are critical enablers of innovation and value creation.

But to understand the actual value of supply chains – and the role of industry and government to support them – it is essential to know how they contribute to a broad range of policy goals.

A new report from Cambridge Industrial Innovation Policy, commissioned by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) (formerly Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)) Advanced Manufacturing Directorate, aims to improve understanding of supply chains and how they contribute to socio-economic policy outcomes.

The report provides up-to-date evidence and establishes a framework to link different supply chain elements to government objectives, market failures and potential policy interventions.

The report provides:

• Insight into what supply chains are and why they are essential for achieving key policy outcomes
• Analysis of the key challenges and opportunities facing UK manufacturing supply chains
• Concrete examples of how supply chains can be revitalised (drawing on UK and international policy experience)
• Policy recommendations

By bringing these building blocks together, the report will help inform the strategic rationale for any government intervention seeking to improve supply-chain-related policy outcomes.

Download the report