logo
episode-header-image
Nov 18
22m 30s

Are factories the new frontier of big te...

PWC
About this episode

Making all the items we need and use in our everyday lives requires an intricate network of producers, suppliers, and distributors. But intricacy can have consequences: supply chains today are frequently disrupted, even as new technologies are changing everything we thought we knew about manufacturing. Long-standing processes are being revamped to try to make them more efficient, and that means a radical rethinking of the way we make things.


In this special episode of Take on Tomorrow, hosts Lizzie O’Leary and Femi Oke talk with Kiva Allgood, Head of the Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chains at the World Economic Forum, about the impact of automation on the workforce. Meanwhile, Cara Haffey, Leader of Industry for Industrial Manufacturing and Services at PwC UK, unpacks the opportunities this shift brings for new types of businesses.


Take on Tomorrow is brought to you by strategy+business, a PwC publication © 2025 PwC.

Up next
Nov 4
Can government be the catalyst for breakthrough innovation?
Big breakthrough innovations are on the horizon, and they could be coming from an unlikely place. We’re talking about the sort of ideas that would reshape how we move, the medical treatments we receive, and how we adapt to the changing climate and generate new kinds of energy—and ... Show More
24m 11s
Oct 21
How to fund the data-center boom?
Throughout this special series, we’ve been exploring what happens to business and society when people try to do things differently. But without the funding to pay for that change, real progress can stall. In this episode, we’ll look at the way projects are financed and how it’s u ... Show More
26m 26s
Oct 7
Will your next sushi roll come from a laboratory?
Farmers produce, traders distribute, manufacturers process, retailers sell, and governments regulate. And it all comes together so that we can eat each day. But this delicate, complex global system is under immense pressure. Drought and heat stress threaten crops. Geopolitical cr ... Show More
24m 41s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
Can Rivian avoid the EV speed bumps? with founder and CEO RJ Scaringe
<p>As demand declines for EVs, and Tesla’s Elon Musk wields power in the new Trump administration, electric automaker Rivian is taking this time to adapt its business and expand its brand. Rivian’s founder and CEO RJ Scaringe joins Rapid Response to share how the company is movin ... Show More
31m 33s
Sep 2024
How can EVs accelerate toward market growth?
After decades of anticipation, electric vehicles are becoming the mainstream – as more hit the roads globally, despite bumps along the way.   EVs are on the rise, driven by greater affordability, environmental concerns and a shift in consumer preferences.   But with geopo ... Show More
23m 42s
May 2024
How One Energy CEO Is Leading a Transition Toward Clean Energy
As the CEO of one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S., Lynn Good is leading Duke Energy’s aggressive transition to renewables and net zero emissions. It’s a complex undertaking that involves short-term planning and long-term advances in technology as well as manag ... Show More
32m 11s
Oct 8
The best thing that could happen to the energy industry | Matt Tilleard
<p>History has been written by whoever controls the dominant fuel of the era — until now, says renewables entrepreneur Matt Tilleard. He explains why, as the clean energy transition ramps up, we’re moving from a world where energy comes from burning fuels to one where it will com ... Show More
13m 51s
Feb 2025
Where does the Mittelstand stand?
Could Germany benefit from drastic Javier Milei-style reforms? One business owner in Berlin thinks so, and many others want a reduction in the amount of bureaucracy bosses are responsible for. As a federal election takes place in Germany, members of the Mittelstand, Germany’s fam ... Show More
17m 30s
Sep 2024
151. Peak Fossil Fuels - Sep24
ExxonMobil forecasts 2050 Oil demand be the same as today. We believe that they are just “talking their books.” To discuss the future of the Energy system as well as the fight against Climate Change, we bring in a very respected expert and friend of the show: Kingsmill Bond, Ener ... Show More
25m 17s
May 2025
Meet the CEO Bill Gates backs to beat Tesla: Alex Kendall, Wayve.AI
In this episode of Secret Leaders, we sit down with Alex Kendall, co-founder & CEO of Wayve AI — the $1B+ British startup taking on Tesla in the race to build a driverless future. From raising $1.05 billion from Microsoft, SoftBank, and NVIDIA, to reimagining cities with AI-power ... Show More
1h 14m
Apr 2025
Keeping cleantech investment alive | With technological, economic and policy challenges mounting, how can we keep energy innovation on track?
<p>These are hard times for investment in low-carbon energy. The lack of progress in international climate negotiations, threats to policy support, and an increased awareness of the challenges of decarbonization, have created some strong headwinds. Everyone agrees that more break ... Show More
53m 10s
Oct 14
The connected world of energy | Special episode from Wood Mackenzie
<p>Host Ed Crooks talks to Jason Liu, Chief Executive of Wood Mackenzie and co-author (with Chief Analyst Simon Flowers) of a new book, Connected, about the fast-changing world of energy. They are also joined by Sunaina Ocalan, formerly Senior Director for Corporate Strategy &amp ... Show More
44m 5s
Feb 2025
What the EV Industry’s Challenges Reveal About Innovation and Regulation
Many consumers are buying electric vehicles, thanks to sportscar-like performance, government incentives, and personal motivations to minimize climate change. But the EV industry overall has revved and sputtered in unpredictable ways and offers a case study in managing innovation ... Show More
26m 24s