In the Digital Catapult survey of 100 UK manufacturing leaders at director level and above, 82 per cent said that working with startups will help them accelerate digital transformation objectives, admitting that startups can give them access to creativity and skills they do not currently possess in-house.
Manufacturers are also increasingly looking to partner with startups to stimulate innovation, with nearly three-quarters of manufacturing leaders (73 per cent) saying that collaborating with startups is part of their long-term business strategy. Fifty per cent of manufacturers said they have already worked with startups.
However, only a quarter of those polled said that collaborating with startup businesses to experiment with technologies is a priority in the next 12 months, despite 92 per cent of those who have already worked with a startup saying they would do so again. Top barriers to manufacturing leaders working with startups included a fear of...