University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre has officially opened a new £20 million applied R&D facility in Lancashire which promises to help businesses in the region unlock productivity and sustainability gains.
Minister for Industry Lee Rowley cut the ribbon on the AMRC North West centre, which sits at the heart of the Samlesbury Aerospace Enterprise Zone in Preston. It combines modern office workspace with a flexible high-tech workshop facility.
Core R&D capabilities include additive and digital manufacturing, batteries and automation, 5G for manufacturing, robotics, autonomous manufacturing processes and systems, and low carbon technologies.
“This world leading hub of research and development is precisely what will keep the UK’s advanced manufacturing sector ahead of the pack,” commented Lee Rowley. “Not only will it help businesses unlock key productivity and sustainability gains, it will also drive our ambition to level up across the North West by supporting economic growth and jobs.”
The Minister was accompanied by University of Sheffield president and vice-chancellor Professor Koen Lamberts and Lancashire Enterprise Partnership chair Debbie Francis.
Professor Lamberts said: “By bringing translational research to the doorstep of existing and new industry we can help to boost productivity and attract more investment to Lancashire. The AMRC has a strong 20 year history of working with manufacturers of all sizes to develop greener, more efficient products and processes, and we look forward to working with our partners in Lancashire to support the region’s economic growth.”
The AMRC North West facility has been built using a £20m grant from the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Growth Deal. Debbie Francis from the LEP said the investment “reflects our confidence in the AMRC’s ability to drive growth and increase productivity to ensure Lancashire’s manufacturers remain at the forefront of innovative and cutting edge technologies”.
AMRC engineers have operated from an interim facility provided by the University of Central Lancashire since 2018, working with hundreds of businesses across the county to de-risk investment in innovation and remove barriers to early adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies.
Following the opening of the new centre, it is hoped to support businesses to adopt more energy efficient operations and there are plans to develop a Low Carbon Smart Building Demonstrator. It will create the road map for manufacturers to achieve net zero by 2050 and cut their carbon footprint by 2030.
The new facility is also the primary site for the 5G Factory of the Future project, a Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport funded programme which is driving the adoption of 5G technologies in manufacturing.
University of Sheffield AMRC CEO Steve Foxley said: “AMRC North West will not only help regional industry to develop new capabilities that build on an already rich manufacturing heritage, but it will strengthen collaboration between industry and academic partners, and put the area in a leading role in developing cutting edge research, technologies and skills that are key to boosting productivity and growing the economy, and delivering on the net zero ambition.”
AMRC North West was designed and project managed by architects BDP and the construction was carried out by Robertsons.