Digital Catapult has launched an accelerator program to strengthen the industrial supply chain resilience of the UK defense sector and expedite the adoption of deep technology, particularly in additive manufacturing (AM). The Digital Supply Chain Hub Defence Testbed Accelerator has selected five startups to tackle challenges related to secure data-sharing, which is critical for enabling faster, more agile 3D printing across defense supply chains.
The initiative is a collaboration between Digital Catapult, the Ministry of Defence (MOD), major defense manufacturers, and UK-based technology SMEs, with support from the National Composites Centre (NCC) and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC). It addresses persistent issues within the MOD, such as long lead times for critical assets and fragmented data systems that limit equipment availability.
Focus on Secure Digital Inventory
To overcome these challenges, the MOD is exploring the creation of a federated digital inventory of manufacturing information. This inventory would provide authorized partners with a single, secure view of essential technical data, allowing for the distributed 3D printing of defense components.
The five selected startups are working on two primary technical challenges:
- Technical Data Packs (TDP)-Digital Inventory Connectors: Startups Dataline Labs, CamyPro, and TECHNIA are developing software to securely extract and standardize metadata from Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems.
- Federated Digital Inventory: Vistory Group and Quaisr are focused on building a unified, permissioned platform for viewing and sharing technical data across the supply chain.
Digital Catapult’s Head of Industrial Supply Chains, Annie Iakovaki, noted that this program is vital for bridging industry, startups, and government to address critical challenges in the defense supply chain. The accelerator directly supports the MOD’s recently issued Advanced Manufacturing Strategy by translating its goals into practical applications and expanding the participation of SMEs in the defense industrial base.
