RESEARCH NEWS
£ 14m boost for next-gen manufacturing
A trio of manufacturing-related research initiatives , led by the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland ( NMIS ), have received a £ 14-million funding boost through the Glasgow City Region Innovation Accelerator programme .
The three projects will accelerate productivity and sustainability across local manufacturing and engineering specialists , with smaller businesses working alongside partners including Boeing ; SSE Renewables ; Howden ; Thales and Babcock . The projects are supported with £ 5.4 million from the UK Government and up to £ 8.6 million from industry partners .
NMIS LMC ( Lightweight Manufacturing Centre ).
ReMake Glasgow
One project , “ ReMake Glasgow ”, will see a “ first-of-its-kind ” national ReMake hub developed at NMIS ’ s flagship facility next to Glasgow Airport within the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland . The hub will provide the skills and technologies needed to support ambitious manufacturers of all sizes to adopt circularity and extend the life of products and parts . Through processes such as remanufacturing , refurbishing and repairs , the aim is to achieve a 99 % reduction in CO₂ compared to manufacturing from new .
With reportedly under 2 % of products manufactured in the UK currently designed and reused in this way , the ReMake hub represents a significant opportunity to transform production processes and support local companies to move towards a circular economy . The consortium is developing new ways to remanufacture high-value components with local SMEs in the region , and with consortium partners Howden – a Chart Industries Company ; SSE Renewables ; Renewable Parts ; British Airways Maintenance Glasgow ; Boeing in Glasgow and ATS Global .
The “ ReMake ” hub .
Chris Courtney , CEO of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland ( NMIS ), said : “ These three projects will empower growing companies in the sector to boost productivity and sustainability , particularly at a local level . Working collaboratively across these strategic themes for next-generation manufacturing will help companies to position themselves at the forefront of datadriven , sustainable advanced manufacturing . By collaborating with leaders and research experts across the manufacturing , engineering and technology sectors , we can provide the workforce of today and tomorrow with the skills they need to make the next generation of greener products .”
D3M _ Colab project
The second NMIS-led project , “ Data Driven Design and Manufacturing Colab ( D3M _ Colab )”, will explore the potential of data science to solve realworld manufacturing problems and boost productivity . It will upskill 300 local people with 100 hours of free training that includes a transformation project deployed within their workplace and ongoing support from NMIS experts and PhD students from the University of Strathclyde .
International defence company , Babcock , has extended its involvement in the
programme . This follows two successful pilot cohorts in 2022 with over 16 students from Rosyth participating and solving business data challenges ranging from optimisation of manufacturing processes , accurate reporting of engineering maturity and deeper understanding of workforce demographics .
Stratellite project
Meanwhile , the third initiative , named “ Stratellite ” and led by the NMIS Lightweight Manufacturing Centre ( LMC ), taps into Scotland ’ s growing satellite manufacturing sector and focuses on an innovative reconfigurable , modular and scalable production system developed by the LMC .
Working with Thales , it aims to automate the precision production processes necessary for the manufacture of large satellites . The team from the LMC will also develop the technology so that it is applicable for smaller businesses across a range of sectors to help them become more agile and explore making new products in new markets without a large upfront investment .
These projects are funded by the Glasgow City Region Innovation Accelerator programme with additional contributions from project partners . Led by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation , the pilot Innovation Accelerator programme is investing £ 100 million into 26 transformative R & D projects to accelerate the growth of three high-potential innovation clusters : Glasgow City Region , Greater Manchester and West Midlands . n
18 | ismr . net | ISMR June 2024