The Future of British Manufacturing Initiative (FOBMI) is on hand to help British design and manufacturing companies to respond to and deal with the challenges of the changing industry that are a result of Industry 4.0 (the fourth industrial revolution) and the Internet of Things.

FOBMI was launched by Autodesk and The Manufacturer, and is supported by various key partners, according to The Manufacturer website.

Manufacturing industry manager at Autodesk Asif Moghal said: "As we enter a new industrial era, British manufacturing has an opportunity to place itself at the centre of this disruption and once again become a driving force in this fourth industrial revolution."

This disruption that Mr Moghal refers to means that manufacturing companies, and in particular small to medium businesses in this sector, need to change the way they work in order to gain a competitive advantage.

Henry Anson, managing director of The Manufacturer, commented that now the manufacturing landscape is "more complex and difficult to navigate than ever before in industrial history".

It's hoped that with the help of the FOBMI that the British manufacturing industry will be able to embrace the changes of the sector and flourish.